Two dads attempting to drive school bus from New York to LA and back without paying for fuel
Published on Jun 14, 2025 at 11:49 AM (UTC+4)
by Henry Kelsall
Last updated on Jun 11, 2025 at 6:55 PM (UTC+4)
Edited by
Emma Matthews
Two dads have attempted to drive from New York to Los Angeles and back in a school bus, without paying for fuel.
TikTok user Scotty Fairno posted a video of their adventure to his TikTok account, showing what route they will take and other aspects of their trip.
His account had further updates as to how the trip was going, including one that suggested the school bus had broken down and encountered some issues on its way to Los Angeles.
The adventure proves the challenges of economy driving over a long distance, and how hard that is while driving an old school bus!
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The total journey is 9,000 miles in length, and that includes the return journey to New York.
As explained in the first video, the dads have strapped 1,000 gallons worth of fuel tanks to the old bus.
Not only that, but they are running their creation on homemade diesel fuel, which in itself is impressive.
And as they’re doing that, they won’t be paying a single penny in tax either.
@scottyfarno That was a mouthful! Route is planned, we’ve just gotta put side skirts on and tie a few loose ends then we’re on the road! #america #usa #freedom #roadtrip #blackoil #schoolbus #cars #freefuel #vegoil #oilrig #bluecollar #oilman #roughneck ♬ original sound – Scotty Fairno
The journey will take them through many of the US states, including Louisiana, Texas, New Mexico, and Kentucky.
That’s one hell of a trip, and further TikTok videos have shown it’s been a challenging adventure.
The first day of driving seemed to go smoothly, but later days proved more of a challenge.
After day two, they were worried that the fuel filters had clogged as the truck was driving incredibly slowly.
However, the guys aboard had just forgotten to turn the fuel pump on – no wonder it wasn’t running as it should have been!
The trip also took them through the abandoned mining town of Centralia in Pennsylvania.
That town was abandoned after the coal mine underground caught fire in 1962.
Day three saw battery issues while the bus was residing in Lancaster.
Of the four batteries on the bus, two were old and sucking all the charge from the new ones.
That led to the school bus deciding not to turn on when the guys tried to fire it up.
The most recent video at the time of writing has the adventure on its fifth day, with another breakdown happening.
Clearly, the whole trip from New York to Los Angeles is going to be quite a challenge!
Will they ever make it back to the East Coast?
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Henry is a content writer with nearly ten years experience, having written for various publications since 2017. Qualifying with a Sports Journalism degree from Staffordshire University, Henry loves all things automotive but has a particular soft spot for classic Japanese cars and anything Lancia. He also has a curious passion for steam locomotives.
