A bus (contracted from omnibus, with variants multibus, motorbus, autobus, etc.) is a
road vehicle that carries significantly more
passengers than an average
car or
van, but less than the average
rail transport. It is most commonly used in
public transport, but is also in use for
charter purposes, or through private ownership. Although the average bus carries between 30 and 100 passengers, some buses have a capacity of up to 300 passengers. The most common type is the
single-deckrigid bus, with
double-decker and
articulated buses carrying larger loads, and
midibuses and
minibuses carrying smaller loads.
Coaches are used for longer-distance services. Many types of buses, such as city transit buses and inter-city coaches, charge a fare. Other types, such as elementary or secondary
school buses or
shuttle buses within a post-secondary education campus, are free. In many jurisdictions,
bus drivers require a special
large vehicle licence above and beyond a regular
driving licence.
The Q64 (formerly the Q65A), QM4 and QM44 were originally operated by Queens-Nassau Transit Lines, Queens Transit Corporation, and
Queens Surface Corporation from 1951 to 2005; they are now operated by
MTA Regional Bus Operations under the MTA Bus Company brand. (Full article...)
An articulated bus, also referred to as a
slinky bus, bendy bus,
tandem bus, vestibule bus, stretch bus, or an
accordion bus, is an
articulated vehicle, typically a
motor bus or
trolleybus, used in
public transportation. It is usually a
single-decker, and comprises two or more rigid sections linked by a
pivoting joint (articulation) enclosed by protective bellows inside and outside and a cover plate on the floor. This allows a longer legal length than
rigid-bodied buses, and hence a higher passenger capacity (94–120), while still allowing the bus to maneuver adequately.
Due to their high passenger capacity, articulated buses are often used as part of
bus rapid transit schemes, and can include mechanical
guidance. Articulated buses are typically 18 m (59 ft) long, in contrast to standard rigid buses at 11 to 14 m (36 to 46 ft) long. The common arrangement of an articulated bus is to have a forward section with two
axles leading a rear section with a single axle, with the driving axle mounted on either the front or the rear section. Some articulated buses have a
steering arrangement on the rearmost axle which turns slightly in opposition to the front steering axle, allowing the vehicle to negotiate tighter turns, similar to
hook-and-ladder fire trucks operating in city environments. A less common variant of the articulated bus is the
bi-articulated bus, where the vehicle has two trailer sections rather than one. Such vehicles have a capacity of around 200 people, and a length of about 25 m (82 ft); as such, they are used almost exclusively on high-capacity, high-frequency arterial routes and on
bus rapid transit services. (
Image 14One of the NAW/Hess
articulated trolleybuses delivered to Geneva in 1992, which were among the first production-series low-floor trolleybuses (from Trolleybus)
Image 15The earliest public light buses. At the front are (left to right) Commer, Isuzu Elf and Morris (from Public light bus)
Image 50Plaxton-bodied Volvo B9R operated by National Express (from Coach (bus))
Image 51A
ZiU-9 trolleybus in service in
Piraeus, Greece, on the large Athens-area trolleybus system. The Russian-built ZiU-9 (also known as the ZiU-682), introduced in 1972, is the most numerous trolleybus model in history, with more than 45,000 built. In the 2000s it was effectively rendered obsolete by
low-floor designs. (from Trolleybus)
Image 80CuritibaNeobus bodied bi-articulated
Volvo B12M running with 100% biofuel. At 28 metres, it is one of the world's longest buses. Each section features train-like doors for rapid exchange of people. (from Bi-articulated bus)
Image 81Horsebus in Copenhagen, 1907 (from Horsebus)
Image 100In some cities, such as in Singapore,
double-decker buses are used, which have more seating capacity than a single-decker bus of equivalent length. (from Transit bus)
Image 122Passengers on board an old
Leyland Titan open-top bus view the scenery in Devon. (from Open top bus)
Image 123An integral bodywork MCI 102DL3, an intercity bus owned by
Greyhound Lines, typical of those used in the 1990s and early 2000s. (from Intercity bus service)
Image 169Some
coal mines also operate separate trolleybus systems to serve workers. Wuyang Coal Mine in
Xiangyuan,
Changzhi,
Shanxi has the last remaining mine trolleybus system in China. (from Trolleybus)
Image 173A preserved Leyland Titan TD1 of Glasgow Corporation at the Scottish Vintage Bus Museum (from Lowbridge double-deck bus)
Image 174Replica of the Jinghua BK670, a 1970s-1980s front-engined articulated bus model based on
Huanghe JN150 trucks, in Beijing (from Articulated bus)
Image 210A low-floor bus can provide accessibility for wheelchair users and those on personal mobility devices, often through the use of a wheelchair ramp. (from Low-floor bus)
Image 211A Low floor Bus in Kolkata (from Low-floor bus)
Image 227Interiors of coaches include many features not found in buses intended for shorter travel. (from Coach (bus))
Image 228A typical transit bus in
Eindhoven, The Netherlands. The floor at the forward section of the vehicle is low to allow for easy entry and egress. (from Transit bus)
Image 2491983 Repstad-bodied
Volvo B10M, converted for transport of racing horses (from Bruck (vehicle))
Image 250Fuso Canter Modern PUV, Philippines (Cab is separate and can be tipped over, unlike most conversions which weld it to the bus box) (from Combination bus)
... that Werner Heubeck, the managing director of
Ulsterbus during
The Troubles, was known for personally removing
IRA bombs from buses to keep them running on time?
... that French manufacturer Vétra built
trolleybuses(example pictured) for transit systems in 12 countries, on three continents?
... that Newton Corner has at various times been a
commuter rail depot, a trolley station, and now a busy bus stop?
Kathleen Andrews (
néeSmith; May 17, 1940 – November 17, 2013) was a British-Canadian
bus driver and transport manager. Her pioneering role as the first female Transit Operator, Dispatcher and Manager in
Edmonton, Alberta was later commemorated by the city.
Kathleen Smith grew up in
Rochdale, Lancashire and migrated to Edmonton aged 14. She graduated from
Ross Sheppard Composite High School in 1959. Following a marriage and subsequent divorce, she sought full-time employment to support her family, which led to joining the
Edmonton Transit System (ETS) in 1975. She initially fulfilled the role of Bus Information Clerk, before becoming the first female bus driver that May. After three years, she became the first female Bus Dispatcher, and was eventually promoted to manager of Special Service charter buses. She was commended by the council as being the first female in any significant management capacity in the city. She continued to drive school buses after her retirement from ETS in 1998, and died of
cancer in November 2013.
In 2014, the city council created the Kathleen Andrews Transit Garage at a cost of $196 million, covering 500,000 square feet of space and accommodating 300 buses and 700 drivers. The garage did not open officially until February 2020. (Read More)
Image 2
Dame Ann Heron GloagDBE (née Souter; born 10 December 1942) is a Scottish businesswoman, activist, and charity campaigner. She is co-founder of the transport company
Stagecoach Group.
According to The Sunday Times Rich List in 2020, Gloag and her brother,
Sir Brian Souter, are worth £730 million, a decrease of £145 million from the previous year.
In January 2023, Gloag, with her husband and two other family members, was charged with criminal offences involving human trafficking. She disputes the charges. (Read More)
Image 3
John Greenwood (born 1788, died 1851), transport entrepreneur, was the keeper of a toll-gate in
Pendleton on the
Manchester to Liverpool
turnpike. In 1824 he purchased a horse and a cart with several seats and began an
omnibus service, probably the first one in the
United Kingdom, between Pendleton and Manchester. His pioneering idea was to offer a service where, unlike with a
stagecoach, no prior booking was necessary and the driver would pick up or set down passengers anywhere on request. Later on he added daily services to
Buxton,
Chester, and
Sheffield.
John Greenwood, and a number of competitors, created a network of omnibus services, often acting as feeders to the railways. When he died in 1851 he left a flourishing business to his son, also named John (II) (b. 12 May 1818, d. 21 March 1886), which in that year became the Manchester Carriage Company.
By gestation, and amalgamation, in 1880, this became the
Manchester Carriage and Tramways Company, led by John Greenwood (II). Following the council taking control of passenger transport services, in 1903, the residuary operations became The Manchester Carriage Co. (1903) Ltd, led by John Greenwood (III) (b. 1856).
Robert R. Kiley (September 16, 1935 – August 9, 2016) was an American
public transit planner and supervisor, with a reputation of being able to save transit systems experiencing serious problems. From 2001 to 2006 he was the initial
Commissioner of Transport for London, the public organisation empowered with running and maintaining London's public transport network.
The same year, Nepal Transport Service also started the first local shuttle between Kathmandu and Patan (
Lalitpur), one of the three cities in the
Kathmandu Valley. (Read More)
Image 6
Julian Peddle (born November 1954) is an entrepreneur who has worked in the bus industry since the early 1980s, having owned or part-owned numerous bus companies. He spent 11 years as co-owner of
Stevensons of Uttoxeter between 1983 and 1994, having previously been its traffic manager. During the late 1990s and early 2000s he ran Status Group, a group of small bus companies spread across England which included
BakerBus,
Choice Travel and
MK Metro. He was a major shareholder in
Tellings-Golden Miller and
Centrebus Holdings before their sale to
Arriva. (Read More)
Sir Moir LockheadOBEDHC (born 25 April 1945 in
County Durham,
England) is an English businessman. He was Chief Executive and Deputy Chairman of UK transport group
FirstGroup. Originally a mechanical engineer, he left school (
West CornforthSecondary Modern) at 15 to become apprentice mechanic in a bus garage in
Darlington, before working for a short period as a management trainee with
Tarmac. In 1979, he was appointed Chief Engineer of Glasgow City Transport. He joined
Grampian Regional Transport in 1985 as General Manager, and went on to lead the successful employee buy-out as
GRT Group.
In 2011, he was appointed Chairman of the
Scottish Rugby Union. In 2014, he was re-appointed for a second three-year term. In 2014, he was appointed Chairman of the
National Trust for Scotland.