A bend in the road is only the end of the road if you fail to make the turn.  Well, we’ve been turning our wheels a lot lately and we’re starting to get the hang of it.

    Another bus repair needed became apparent today.  An overall decrease in power and finally moments of failure from our fuel injection pump led us to Bob’s Truck and Automotive.  Same old song and dance, we need another pricey repair.  We’re being told that these parts have simply reached the end of their life expectancy and should be expected to fail.  Regardless, when our trip is interrupted by a $2000-$3000 repair, we are all forced to reevaluate our dedication to the bus.  The last time we were faced with this decision, there were talks of selling the bus.  We payed $1000 for the bus originally and repairs doubling and tripling that are really hard to hear about.  It’s been especially hard to swallow for the few who have been bailing the bus out.  Until this point, the source of monetary support has come straight from Brave New Bussers.  I don’t think anyone regrets a penny that they’ve put up, but it is to the point where our group of supporters is simply not large enough to sustain. 

    After the transmission died and we were faced with a $3000 repair that couldn’t be split between just two or three people, we had to make the decision.  Like I said, the bus was almost sold.  $3000 to keep a completely impractical vehicle alive!?  I mean, we have to locate, pump and filter our own fuel!  Someone should be paying us!  So we began talking with our fellow Bussers; nobody wanted to see the bus go. 

    That was it.  We made the decision that this IS the next step in our lives.  We are going to do what it takes to keep this bus alive and to make it a legitimate organization that we can be proud of operating.  We’re adding content to the site for our visitors to enjoy, we’ve been invited to the San Francisco Green Festival in mid November and we’ve got projects in the works like Good for the Bus, Good for the Body. 

    We’re ready for the next level.  The thing about the next level is that it’s harder.  We’ve committed ourselves to the future of Brave New Bus.  We’ve committed ourselves to the future of our planet. 

-Winston