Buspatch (760 Illinois, Inc) is a non-profit California Mutual Benefit Corporation established for the purpose of enabling individuals who dwell in vehicles, or wish to start doing so, to pool their funds and efforts towards common amenities and goals. Among the most predictably pursued such amenities are secure private property on which to park our vehicles, cooking and bathing facilities, internet access, trash and wastewater removal services, shared tools for further vehicle dwelling conversions, and shared grocery purchase and meal preparation, although this is not an exhaustive list.

As a member of Buspatch you will gain access to some or all of the shared amenities of the group in exchange for some amount of monthly membership fees, established by the organization and subject to change with 30 days notice. The “Membership Fee Guidelines” section gives an approximate breakdown of the construction of these fees for various levels of membership as of the last update of this document.

As a member of Buspatch, you are expected to fulfill certain obligations to the organization:

• Pay your membership fees in a timely fashion (prior to the 1st of each calendar month, unless otherwise discussed and agreed).
• Leave spaces and tools and other shared amenities better than you found them, or at least no worse.
• Contribute to the smooth and safe continuing operation of the space(s) and amenities that the organization maintains and provides for its members. Do so by completing the requisite number of weekly maintenance tasks (“chores”), described at http://www.buspatch.com/chores
• Make some effort each month to improve the state of the amenities that you make use of, in ways that will positively affect yourself and the other members using those same amenitie, measured in project hours.
• Maintain the security of our space(s) and belongings, through responsible stewardship of gate, door, and vehicle keys and access codes.
• Remain engaged by participating in our shared communication channels (Slack, email) and tracking your group expenses (Splitwise).
• Read and follow additional policies at http://www.buspatch.com/member-resources

Failure to fulfill these obligations is grounds for revocation of membership. For new members, and existing members who comitt lesser infractions, a probationary period is instated to help get members back on track. More on this at http://www.buspatch.com/probationary-period. For serious infractions, including criminal acts not described above such as assault or theft, revocation may be immediate.

Member Pricing & Obligations Guidelines

Approximate guidelines for monthly membership obligations at Buspatch, based on amenities and access.

Our obligations are comprised of a combination of monthly fees and monthly contributions.

Membership Levels

Members who reside on-site call the Buspatch lot their full time home.

Off-site members park locally and can come and go on our lot as they please to use our amenities (shower, water, kitchen, power, tools, optional groceries, etc).

Makerspace members park locally and can schedule driveway workspace access as needed, and use our amenities minus groceries.

Changes in membership level require 30 days notice.

Financial Obligations

For members joining us after February 1, 2018, base membership fee is $75/mo (members predating this time are paying a $50 base fee*).

An additional $100 security deposit is due the first month of membership, which will be returned when a member departs in good standing.

Any members dwelling on the lot must, and other members may, pay two additional fees:

• $75/mo for access to our power grid and plumbing (with reasonably low ongoing usage to reflect our off-grid nature), use of our common tools, and use of our common social spaces.
• $50/mo grocery share fee.

For shared-space dwellings, a floating bunk is $25/mo, a dedicated bunk is $50/mo, a bunk in a private pod is $75/mo.

For private dwellings, an 8x20ft plot of pavement is $100/mo or $10/day (double if you aren’t dwelling in the vehicle), and requires an additional 2 maintenance tasks per week. Additionally, if you are staying in a full size private space in a Buspatch-managed vehicle there is another $100/mo fee and another additional maintenance task per week.

Having direct gate access from your vehicle parking space is an additional $50/mo, as these spaces are limited and in demand.

Non-Financial Obligations

All members are expected to contribute to Buspatch through maintenance tasks and projects. Maintenance tasks help maintain the space, while projects help improve the space.

A member may opt out of one or more maintenance tasks by paying $10 per task with advance communication, $20 per missed task. This is meant to accommodate members with occasional burdensome outside obligations. Regular failure to complete requisite maintenance task will result in a member falling out of good standing and entering a probationary period.

Members are also expected to contribute 1 project hour per month to help improve Buspatch. This cannot be opted-out of in advance, and the penalty for a missed project hour is $100 (accomodations can be made for members in extenuating circumstances).

Storage

Personal storage is measured in:

• Units of a 4ft cube, typically a standard size pallet packed 4ft high, and is kept outdoors. The fee for such storage is $25/mo per unit.
• 17-gallon home depot bins on a dedicated bin rack. $5/mo per bin.
• Overnight bicycle storage space on a member bike rack. First bike free for onsite members. Additional bikes $20/month.

Storage space is limited and may not be or remain available.

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All told, on-site dwelling members of Buspatch should expect membership fees of approximately $200-400/mo, and to complete 5 maintenance tasks per week.

* Our membership agreement has recently changed based on decisions reached at our recent general meeting. View our previous memberhip agreement here.