Unschooler Free Transit

In March of 2002, Erek found a place that is selling off school busses, if we get one of them that has 100,000 miles (I don't think that is all that much for a school bus) runs on gas, insted of diesil, and has seating for 65 people, it would cost us around $2,50 0 http://www.sellers-edge.com/Events/SchoolBus/SchoolBusDetails.htm for a Diesle, the price goes up, ($3,50 0 to $10,000) and the gas milage gets better. so how do we pay for this bus, and what do we want to do with it, where do we go, what projects do we colaborate on, while traviling, and what do we do for work while on the road?

when someone starts with an address to send the moula, my check'll be in the mail. i want part in this, yes! and i also believe several people will second me!

"What about socialization?"

When I've heard this question in the past[0], I've had to supress two things. My urge to throttle the person addressing me, and the little nagging voice in the back of my mind saying, "go ahead, tell them, you've got plenty of dear friends, but they're all over the globe, and you can't see them! Hah!"

This annoying little bastard has prompted me to do everything I can to bring the camp community closer[2], including creating a mailing list, an IRC network, and a web server, and whenever the opportunity has arisen, cramming dozens of people into my long-suffering parent's house. But in the end, electronic correspondence and the occasional party just aren't enough. What we really need is a constant, free, continent-spanning, and most importantly, free means of transportation. Also, it wouldn't hurt if this means of transport had couches.

So, here's the scheme[3]. Everyone who's interested in such a service sends me a donation between $20 and $50 . I figure with a few hundred of us out there, this should result in a few thousand dollars. I'll use this money to purchase an old school bus. The school bus shall be modified to meet the needs of mobile unschoolers (the seats will be torn out and replaced with couches[4], a killer sound system will be installed[5], the bus shall be painted to scare the hell out of the normals, and possibly some means of accessing the Internat will be included).

The bus will then set out across the country. Being a computer geek affords me a certain flexibility when it comes to earning money (basically, I can continue working from anywhere, as long as I can find a phone jack), so I'll live on the road. A month's worth of gas for the bus should be roughly equal to a month's rent, and a moving bus full of unschoolers is a vast improvement over an apartment. Thus, I will be able to transport unschoolers to and from any point in the U.S. and Canada without charging a dime[7]. I'll mantain a web site where the bus' current route and location will be posted, and anyone wishing to catch a ride and/or suggest the next destination will be able to post there or e-mail me.

I see myself living this way for somewhere between six months and a year. At the end of that time, I'll retire from my position as driver for the Free Transit, and give the bus to whoever volunteers to take over the job. In this way, we should be able to keep the system going for years.

Just think of it! Any time you want to visit someone, or just hit the road with a random bunch of unschoolers, transportation is only a mouse click away! Sure, it's a little on the slow side (probably a month to cross the country from coast to coast), but you have couches and unschoolers while you travel, and though you're expected to provide for yourself when it comes to things like food, the bus itself is completely free!

Cheers,

, just waiting for someone to buy him that bus...

[0] At 20, I don't hear this much relating to being an unschooler[1].

[1] Just relating to being a computer geek...

[2] Closer to me, that is. Don't think for a second these weren't completely self-serving acts.

[3] I've decided I'm much better at "scheming" than "planning," and what's more, I've decided I like it that way.

[4] Morality, common decency, and the law all require me to inform you that the couch bit is Ryland's idea. He had it first, he owns all the rights to it, he's a frikkin' genius, and now he won't sue me.

[5] Thanks to some kick-ass speakers we acquired out of the back of a van[6]

[6] Don't ask. But they sound great.

[7] Or several dimes, or any other amount of currency.

Dude! Mitch and i have been having the same tought for the last cuple of months! I would definaty be willing to toss in some money. $20 easy maybe $50 posibly more if it really looked like it would happen. I would LOVE to help paint the bus too.

Ruth

Great plan, Nick... I'm definitely interesting in contributing and participating. Not absolutely sure how much, but keep me in the loop and let me know when you need the money and I will rally up the dollahs. -summer

Nick I love you!!! I have seen many altered schoolbuses throughout my life...the best one had a small wooden porch on the back with bikes tied up to the posts, a skylight, lots of sunny windows hung with potted plants, and I think I stove...(this was at the Peace Fair in Tucson back in '98) This is a highly genius plan. ~Rosie

• Grins* The coolest bus I've ever seen was a homemade double-decker; A school bus with a VW bus welded on top. I saw some guy driving it through Port Townsend with a toddler on his lap. Imagine driving cross country, and saying, "could someone else take the wheel for a bit? I'm going upstairs."

There's a wonderful beautiful book about modifying busses and trucks into living spaces. It's called Rolling Homes and it was published in the seventies some time, I haave no idea who the author is, but I bet it's findable somewhere besides the Argenta community library. Georguse book! Mirari

• Yes, innovative ideas! This is a scheme-in-progress, please feel free (read: obligated ;) to share any ideas you have.

Nick... well first off let me pause to laugh my head off for a couple minutes.... okay done. You rock. I have a thought on the donations concept...maybe you should set up the money jar so that if you don't get enough after a certian preset period of time all funds will be returned to their donatees. Just to give people (me) a bit of faith that they'll be financing the bus and not your groceries next year, ya know. That done, I'd chip in. -Reanna, care of Hervey Bay, QLD. (who just thinks ya'll should know she's seen a real live platypus now, in the wild... besides nick that is.)

• Thanks for the vote of confidence there. ;) You're quite right, of course. If people really are interested in helping to fund this little project (I'm quite serious about being willing to devote my time to it, but I'm not holding my breath as far as actually acquiring a bus), a pledge based system would probably be the way to go. So, everyone, here's the deal. Don't send me money (well, you know, unless you really want to, but don't send me money for the bus) just yet. Instead, if you are interested in helping with the project, let me know how much you'd be willing to donate. Don't offer more than you realistically could/would be willing to contribute. I'll keep a total of the potential funds, and if I locate a suitable vehicle that fits the available budget, I'll contact everyone with the details. , grinning at and ever more envious of ReannaRanAbroad

Okay, I'm down for $50 . I could go higher, but since you set that as the upward limit, I'll commit to it for now. If/when you pull this off, Nick (which might require giving reality a swift kick in the pants), I'll be so impressed. -Jeff (who's watching a murder of crows attack an eagle outside his windown)