This is the Torsus Praetorian bus, and it guarantees to get your children to the classroom even if it’s in the middle of a rainforest, war zone or any other inhospitable environment.
The extreme vehicle has been created to take on the most challenging of school runs, although promises to deliver your kids there in supreme comfort.
Kitted out with long-travel suspension, huge steel wheels, chunky off-road tyres and a chassis that can withstand blows from the harshest of terrains, it can take up to 35 children to the most remote schools on the planet.
Laughing in the face of the school run: This is the new Torsus Praetorian School Bus, which is designed for the most extreme locations
We’ve already seen the Torsus Terrastorm van that can be converted for multiple uses, including a nomad ambulance and a go-anywhere delivery van.
However, the school bus is the most bonkers version of its other model – the Praetorian – we’ve seen yet.
It starts life as a MAN truck using a 6.9-litre diesel engine that produces with 286bhp and 1,150Nm of torque.
That’s enough grunt to haul the 13-tonne bruiser up a 65 per cent incline.
The maker has jacked the ride height to monster-truck levels, increasing its capability to clear obstacles, while the four-wheel drive and off-road Michelin tyres add to its capability in challenging conditions.
It also has a wading depth of 900mm and double glass windows that won’t shatter if the bus driver collides with a rock.
Torsus has jacked the ride height to monster-truck levels. Four-wheel drive and off-road Michelin tyres add to its capability in challenging conditions
The bus can carry up to 35 school kids at a time through some of the most inhospitable environments
Other special features include bespoke original seats styled around mathematics and science designs and a digital sign to notify parents that this is the correct bus to get their children to school – not that it doesn’t stand out enough already.
The seats are covered with a polymer protective coating and equipped with a seat belt suitable for all ages, while optional extras for the seats include a foldable armrest and hip support bar on the aisle side – just in case the route gets particularly crashy.
The interior is packed out with noise insulation – just in case the kids need to revise for an exam – and it has an easy-clean floor, given that plenty of muddle shoes are likely to be trampled through the cabin.
Torsus even offers a full quota of optional extras on request, including a TV and DVD player to keep the kids entertained in the journey home is a long one.
The seats have a mathematics and science design but also seatbelts designed for school children of all sizes and ages
The entry-level bus starts at €166,000 (around £150,000) and is one of a varying number of conversions of the Praetorian bus
Torsus even offers a full quota of optional extras on request, including a TV and DVD player to keep the kids entertained in the journey home is a long one
Vakhtang Dzhukashvili, CEO of Torsus, said a school bus conversion ‘was one of the first ideas’ he had when imagining a range of durable off-roaders.
‘The Praetorian is a safe and solid vehicle that we know can keep its occupants protected in even the most testing of conditions.
‘Wherever in the world customers might need a school bus solution for safely and efficiently driving on testing terrain, the Praetorian School Bus is an option that will deliver every time.’
The Praetorian is available in more than 20 different conversions, all at varying costs.
This includes an ambulance, safari vehicle, riot wagon or even a ski bus.
The entry-level bus starts at €166,000 (around £150,000) while the most expensive variant – the kitted out ‘Expedition’ – starts from €368,000 (£332,000).
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