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There is good news and bad news when it comes to church transportation.

The bad news is that the 15-passenger van, long used to haul children to youth retreats and shuttle seniors to Sunday lunch, is about to go the way of the nun’s habit.

The good news is that an alternative-the mini-bus-is available to take its place.

Since 1990, more than 420 people have been killed, and thousands more seriously injured, in rollovers and collisions in the top-heavy, thin-sided vehicles. GuideOne Insurance, one of the nation’s largest insurers of churches, reviewed just five accidents between 1999 and 2001 involving 15-passenger vans belonging to policyholders. Those accidents claimed the lives of 11 people, seriously injured more than 20 and resulted in $4.3 million in claims.

WHAT'S IMPORTANT Safety and liability issues are forcing churches to abandon the 15-passenger van. Mini-buses offer a viable replacement option for transportation

As a result of the losses, carriers are pricing coverage sky-high or eliminating it altogether, and churches must bite the bullet or consider another form of transportation.

"These things were built as cargo vans," said Tom Boldwin, sales manager at Kankakee, Ill.-based Midwest Transit Equipment. "Then, all of a sudden, somebody said, ‘Hey, let's put some seats in them and haul around all kinds of people.’ I’m surprised it’s gone this long."

Insurance companies are only part of the challenge. Federal and state law also is turning up the heat.

"Several years ago, the federal law outlawed 15 passenger vans for use in transporting children to and from school activities or church activities," said Jim Elliott, national sales manager for Collins Industries, a bus manufacturer in Hutchinson, Kan.

Elliott was referring to the Motor Vehicle Safety Amendments Act of 1974, which prohibits dealers from selling new, 10 or more passenger vans to any public or private daycare or school unless the vehicle meets federal school bus safety standards.

The law, which carries a $1,000 fine for each barred sale, does not apply to used passenger vans, nor does it preclude schools from using them.

According to the Christian Law Association, many states have passed laws prohibiting or restricting their use. Other states allow them to be used as a school bus under certain conditions. CLA recommends ministries research the law in their state.

Though as many as 600,000 15-passenger vans are in use, most industry experts anticipate the vans will be history within a few years.

These things were built as cargo vans. Then, all of a sudden, somebody said, 'Hey, let's put some seats in them and haul around all kinds of people.' I'm surprised it's gone this long. -- Tom Boldwin, Midwest Transit Equipment

"That’s pretty quick, when you’re looking at having to replace something they spent $20,000 to $30,000 for and have to replace it with something that’s going to cost at least $40,000," said John Adams, national sales manager for Carpenter Bus Sales Inc. in Franklin, Tenn. He said the time for churches to start replacing them, or at least begin planning to, is now.

Trading In, Trading Up

What’s leadership to do if the church van becomes too expensive to insure or is even prohibited from use?

Many congregations are turning to the mini-bus, a 15-26 passenger conveyance designed for comfort, safety and-relatively speaking-good looks.

Models seating 14 passengers and a driver range from about $40,000 to $47,000, depending upon options and whether the engine is gas or diesel. A 26-seat mini-bus ranges from $47,000 to about $54,000. A Type A school bus seating 22 passengers ranges from about $32,000 to $50,000, according to Elliott.

Used prices range from about $12,000 to $30,000, with lower-mileage vehicles coming in at the top of the range. The majority of the used buses five years old or newer come from the transit market. Churches tend to keep their vehicles much longer.

Large buses (34 to 42 passengers) range from about $70,000 to more than $100,000, again depending on the type of motor and options.

So how are churches spending their money for vehicles?

"They buy the mini-bus. They buy the van chassis, but it has more of an airport-shuttle shell," Adams said. "Some people call them ‘people movers,’ but we just call them mini-buses. We outfit them as much as we can to make them comfortable and to give them some tour-bus quality features."

Elliott said many churches are looking to buy the Type A school bus because it offers safety (a 1996 National Safety Council study determined school buses to be the safest form of transportation available) and value.

"We've come up with some very attractive pricing on these buses," Elliott said.

"We sell them anywhere from the low- to mid-$30,000s on the 14-passenger variety, which is not much more than the vans."

He describes them as very safe and able to last up to 15 years.

Elliot said the buses often come with attractive leasing options-a fact stemming in part from the nature of the vehicles and their use.

That used to be a good market for us — used vans being sold to small churches becuase that's all they could afford. But now, that's totally out. -- John Adams, Carpenter Bus Sales Inc.

"One, they are safe. Two, churches maintain them magnificently," he said. Third, church users "don't drive them that many miles compared to a school bus," which means the buses come off lease with relatively few miles."

"There's a ready market for that used bus with five years and 20,000 miles," Elliot said. "I get 20 calls a week from people looking for that kind of used vehicle they can put back into service to replace a van."

But Boldwin, the sales manager for Midwest Transit Equipment, said he is not convinced churches are going to automatically upgrade. Cost versus need is being more closely examined in light of the 15-passenger van experience.

"If they have vehicles in their fleet now, I think they really need to look at the use of those vehicles," he said. "Do they use them or do [the vans] just sit there?"

While the 15-passenger van situation has influenced bus sales, Boldwin said church customers have not exactly been breaking down the door to drop $40,000 or $50,000 for a replacement vehicle.

"It’s growing. It hasn’t been like Cabbage Patch dolls showing up at Toys R Us one day and the people run through the door fighting over them," he said. "We’re getting more inquiries now about other types of transportation for churches than we have in the past. They’re searching. They’re trying to find out, ‘What can I do? What is available? What’s it going to cost us?’"

Another issue confronting churches is once leadership decides to invest in a bus, what is it going to do with the old van, which when new may have cost up to $25,000.

One, they are safe. Two, churches maintain them magnificently," he said. Third, church users "don't drive them that many miles compared to a school bus," which means the buses come off lease with relatively few miles. All this makes an attractive lease candidate. -- Jim Elliott, Collins Industries

Bus dealers, who stand to benefit from the changeover, have no use for the vehicles and are encouraging churches to remove the seats and sell them as cargo vans

Adams suggests posting notices at home improvement and contractor outlets, where they may find a reasonable buyer’s market.

"Those types of people understand what is going on and they’re picking up some great deals," Boldwin said. "They’re still paying a good price for a nice church van."

"We tell them to start out at $15,000 or $16,000 and see where they can go from there," he said. "They’re definitely going to make more that way than they would to trade it to a bus dealer who can’t reuse the van. That used to be a good market for us - used vans being sold to small churches because that’s all they could afford. But now, that’s totally out."