Portal:Buses

The Buses Portal

New Routemaster double-decker bus in London, United Kingdom

A bus (contracted from omnibus, with variants multibus, motorbus, autobus, etc.) is a motor vehicle that carries significantly more passengers than an average car or van, but fewer 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 buses typically carry between 30 and 100 passengers, some buses have a capacity of up to 300 passengers. The most common type is the single-deck rigid 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 license.

Buses may be used for scheduled bus transport, scheduled coach transport, school transport, private hire, or tourism; promotional buses may be used for political campaigns and others are privately operated for a wide range of purposes, including rock and pop band tour vehicles.

Horse-drawn omnibuses were used from the 1820s, followed by steam buses in the 1830s, and electric trolleybuses in 1882. The first internal combustion engine buses, or motor buses, were used in 1895. Recently, interest has been growing in hybrid electric buses, fuel cell buses, and electric buses, as well as buses powered by compressed natural gas or biodiesel. As of the 2010s, bus manufacturing is increasingly globalised, with the same designs appearing around the world. (Full article...)

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This is a Good article, an article that meets a core set of high editorial standards.

A 2007 Motor Coach D4500CL (3471) on the Glen Oaks-bound QM5 at Union Turnpike/164th Street in June 2018

The QM1, QM5, QM6, QM7, QM8, QM31, QM35, and QM36 bus routes constitute a public transit line in New York City, operating express between Northeast Queens and Midtown or Downtown Manhattan. The routes operate primarily on Union Turnpike in Queens, and travel non-stop via Queens Boulevard, the Long Island Expressway, and the Midtown Tunnel or Queensboro Bridge between Queens and Manhattan.

The routes are numbered based on their origin and destination; buses that run to Third Avenue in Midtown Manhattan are double-digit routes that start with the number "3" or "4", while all other routes are single-digit routes. Some QM8 buses provide a "Super Express" service, with longer non-stop sections during the trip. (Full article...)

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Selected article –

A 1992 Flxible Metro 40102-6C in service in Portland, Oregon in 2009.

The Flxible Metro is a transit bus that was assembled and manufactured by the Flxible Corporation from 1983 until 1995. From 1978 until early-1983, when Flxible was owned by Grumman, the model was known as the Grumman 870, with a Grumman nameplate. The earlier model 870 experienced a large number of major design defects and deficiencies, some of which led to the filing of lawsuits against the company by purchasers, and the successor "Metro" model addressed those defective design issues.

Over the combined 17-year production history, a total of 14,456 were built, of which 4,642 were model 870 and 9,814 were Metros. (

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General images

The following are images from various bus-related articles on Wikipedia.

Image 1A Mitsubishi Fuso Aero King at Tokyo station as "Dream-go" in Japan (from Double-decker bus)
Image 2Advertisement on a bus in Hong Kong (2018) (from Bus)
Image 3Gothenburg - Bi-articulated Volvo bus (from Bi-articulated bus)
Image 4Left, double-decker bus Schneider Brillié P2; Centre, double decker horse-drawn omnibus in Paris, France (from Double-decker bus)
Image 5A New Routemaster double-decker bus in London (from Double-decker bus)
Image 6Opel Blitz combination bus (from Combination bus)
Image 7Japanese low-entry bus "omnibus" in Hamamatsu (from Low-floor bus)
Image 8Coal mines also operate trolleybus networks to serve workers. Wuyang Coal Mine in Xiangyuan, Changzhi, Shanxi has the last remaining mine trolleybus system in China. (from Trolleybus)
Image 9Trolleybus in Castellón de la Plana (from Trolleybus)
Image 10Irisbus Cristalis in Limoges (from Trolleybus)
Image 11A Mercedes-Benz O405 integral bus (from Bus manufacturing)
Image 12Volvo B5LH single-decker bus in Singapore (from Bus)
Image 13Medium-sized Hino Songthaew (truck bus) as seen in Sakon Nakhon, Thailand. (from Combination bus)
Image 14Solaris Vacanza 13, A 3-axle Solaris coach manufactured between 2001 and 2010 in San Sebastian, Spain (from Coach (bus))
Image 15Solaris trolleybus on the Arnhem trolleybus system in the Netherlands (from Trolleybus)
Image 16Guided omnibus from Manchester (from Guided bus)
Image 17A Transit Systems Scania K280UB at Westfield Miranda (from Bus)
Image 18Irisbus Crealis Neo, an optically guided TEOR bus in Rouen (from Guided bus)
Image 19Kerb-guided track and adjacent multi-user path along a disused rail line, on the Leigh-Salford-Manchester Bus Rapid Transit (from Guided bus)
Image 20Early version of a midibus, the Bedford JJL (from Midibus)
Image 21An early horse-drawn omnibus from mid-nineteenth century (from Bus)
Image 22Johannesburg Metrobus (from Double-decker bus)
Image 23A 1986 van-derived Ford Transit minibus bodied by Carlyle (from Bus manufacturing)
Image 24Guided trolleybus in Castellón de la Plana, Spain (from Guided bus)
Image 25Russian Police Ural-572060 also known as VM-4320 (from Combination bus)
Image 26The chassis of an Alexander Dennis Enviro500 double-decker bus on display in Hong Kong (from Bus manufacturing)
Image 27Intercity coaches from GO and Megabus seen in Niagara Falls, Ontario (from Intercity bus service)
Image 28A Kowloon Motor Bus Alexander Dennis Enviro400 in Hong Kong (from Double-decker bus)
Image 29Battery electric buses are in widespread service across the world. Pictured is a Yutong E12 in Zhengzhou. (from Transit bus)
Image 30US school bus (2007 IC CE) (from Bus)
Image 31Dublin Bus Volvo B9TL (from Double-decker bus)
Image 32Switch Mobility EiV 22 double-decker bus travelling in Marine Drive, Mumbai (from Double-decker bus)
Image 33MAN A95 double decker on route X25 running in Dubai, UAE in 2023 (from Double-decker bus)
Image 34Volvo B7R / 9700S (no. 792, AAI-840, 2006) operated by ExpressBus Savonlinja at Jyväskylä bus station (from Coach (bus))
Image 35Bi-articulated bus in Guatemala City, Guatemala (from Articulated bus)
Image 36French steam bus (from Steam bus)
Image 37Many low-floor buses feature extendable ramps. (from Low-floor bus)
Image 38Countries with double-decker buses as a form of public transport (from Double-decker bus)
Image 39Hyundai County minibus being used as a city bus in Hoengseong, South Korea. (from Transit bus)
Image 40ZIL-131 shift bus (from Combination bus)
Image 411999 New Flyer D40LF in the Aurora Village Transit Center in Shoreline in June 2010. (from Low-floor bus)
Image 42Trailer bus in Havana (2006) (from Bus)
Image 43A Scania TransJakarta bus in Harmoni Central Busway Station, Jakarta (from Articulated bus)
Image 44The London Booster moving sculpture
Image 45New Flyer XT60 in Seattle (from Trolleybus)
Image 46Preserved 1857 omnibus in Copenhagen, 1986 (from Horse-drawn omnibus)
Image 47Hino Dutro 110SD 12-seater microbus in Indonesia (from Minibus)
Image 48A Rocar DAC 217E articulated trolleybus in Bucharest, Romania, in April 2007 (from Trolleybus)
Image 49AC Transit XMC-77 (from Articulated bus)
Image 50A rebuilt East Lancs Greenway (from Bus manufacturing)

Did you know? –

... that Cam Winton has held press conferences on a moving Metro Transit bus and in the largest pothole in Minneapolis?

... that the first series of On the Buses, a British sitcom written by Chesney and Wolfe, was rejected by the BBC but accepted by London Weekend Television?

... 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?

... that Peter Stuart, who formed the band Dog's Eye View, toured with Paula Cole by following her tour bus in his rental car?

See more...

Selected image

These are images selected by Wikimedia Commons, as either Quality, Valued, or Featured images.

Image 1An abandoned bus in the Atacama Desert
Image 2A Mercedes Citaro O530, of the Oxford Bus Company
Image 3A Setra S 415 NF of the operator BahnBus Hochstift, in Paderborn bus terminal.
Image 4An Iveco Crossway of Blaguss, Vienna
Image 5A MAN Lion's City of BSAG, Bremen Hauptbahnhof
Image 6A bus at the University of Nottingham
Image 7A KMB bus, in Hong Kong
Image 8An East Lancs bodied Volvo B10M, owned by Hilton's travel, Newton-Le-Willows
Image 9A Leyland Olympian, and the Grade II listed Angel Inn
Image 10Buses in Oslo
Image 11Trolleybuses outside Salzburg Hbf, Austria
Image 12A preserved BVG MAN SD200, operating Berlin bus 218
Image 13A Connexionsbuses operated Scania Omnidekka, at Thorpe Arch industrial estate, Wetherby.
Image 14A Karosa Bus in Olomouc
Image 15A Dopravní podnik hlavního města Prahy, Karosa B 732 in Prague
Image 16View from Slussen towards Gamla stan (Old town) and Riddarholmen. In the background Kungsholmen and Stockholm City Hall.
Image 17A preserved Bristol SUS, which was operated by Western National
Image 18A trolleybus in Brno, Czech Republic
Image 19The Agora and de l'Assut de l'Or Bridge – Part of the Arts and Science complex in Valencia
Image 20A trolleybus in Novosibirsk, Russia
Image 21The freight trolley TG-5, Vinnitsa, Ukraine.
Image 22An Irisbus Agora Line vehicle in Avignon, France

Bus People

Image 1
Robert R. Kiley (September 16, 1935 – August 9, 2016) was an American public transit planner and supervisor known for his ability to rehabilitate transit systems experiencing serious problems. From 2001 to 2006 he was the first commissioner of Transport for London, the public organisation that runs and maintains London's public transport network.

Kiley also worked as a CIA agent, CEO of the Massachusetts Bay Transportation Authority, deputy mayor of Boston, chairman and CEO of the Metropolitan Transportation Authority, and president and CEO of the New York City Partnership. He is credited as being the architect of the revival of Boston and New York's ailing public transport systems in the 1970s and 1980s respectively.

Kiley unsuccessfully ran for mayor of Boston in 1983. (Read More)
Image 2
Samuel Ledgard (1874–1952) was a Leeds entrepreneur who became a major West Yorkshire Independent bus operator. Following his death in 1952, his executors continued to operate the Samuel Ledgard bus company until 1967, when it was acquired by the West Yorkshire Road Car Company. (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).

For how this initial service developed, see Timeline of public passenger transport operations in Manchester. (Read More)
Image 4
Werner Wolfgang Heubeck (24 October 1923 – 19 October 2009) was a German–British transport executive who was managing director of the Northern Ireland transport companies Ulsterbus and Citybus. (Read More)
Image 5
Kathleen Andrews (née Smith; 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 6
Ann Heron Gloag DBE (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 2024, Gloag and her brother, Sir Brian Souter, are worth £815 million, an increase of £35 million from the previous year.

In 2023, Gloag put Beaufort Castle, her Category A listed residence in the Scottish Highlands, up for sale at £7.5 million. Located near Kiltarlity, 13 miles west of Inverness, the castle was originally built in the 12th century and then rebuilt in 1880. Gloag purchased the historic estate, which includes a 26-bedroom principal property, a chapel, six residential cottages and 127 acres of land, in 1994 for approximately £1.5 million. (Read More)
Image 7
Sir Moir Lockhead OBE DHC (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 Cornforth Secondary 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.

He was made an Officer of the Order of the British Empire (OBE) in 1996 for services to the bus industry. He is a past President of the Confederation of Passenger Transport. He was knighted in the 2008 Birthday Honours. In 2009, the University of Aberdeen awarded him a Doctorate honoris causa (DHC). In 2010, he was awarded the VisitScotland Silver Thistle Award for outstanding services to the tourism industry in Scotland.

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.

In January 2011, First Great Western powercar 43160 was named Sir Moir Lockhead as was First ScotRail diesel multiple unit 170401 in March 2011. (Read More)
Image 8
Karuna Ratna Tuladhar (Nepali: करुणारत्न तुलाधर) (23 October 1920 – 19 July 2008) was a pioneer of Nepalese public transport. He was proprietor of Nepal Transport Service which he and his brother Lupau Ratna Tuladhar founded in 1959. This was Nepal's first public bus service which linked the capital Kathmandu with the railhead of Amlekhganj, 190 kilometers to the south near the Indian border.

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 9
Julian Henry 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)