Portal:Buses

The Buses Portal

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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Trondheim Central Station

Trondheim Central Station (Norwegian: Trondheim sentralstasjon) or Trondheim S is the main railway station serving the city of Trondheim, Norway. Located at Brattøra in the north part of the city centre, it is the terminus of the Dovre Line, running southwards, and the Nordland Line, which runs north. The railway is electrified south of the station but not north of it, so through trains must change locomotives at the station.

SJ Norge serves the station with express trains to Oslo and Bodø, regional trains to Røros and Östersund in Sweden, and the Trøndelag Commuter Rail. The Trondheim Bus Station located at the station serves all long-distance buses, and some city buses. From 1913 to 1968 the station was also the terminus for two lines of the Trondheim Tramway. (Full article...)

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A school bus is any type of bus owned, leased, contracted to, or operated by a school or school district. It is regularly used to transport students to and from school or school-related activities, but not including a charter bus or transit bus. Various configurations of school buses are used worldwide; the most iconic examples are the yellow school buses of the United States which are also found in other parts of the world, including Canada.

In North America, school buses are purpose-built vehicles distinguished from other types of buses by design characteristics mandated by federal and state/provincial regulations. In addition to their distinct paint color (National School Bus Glossy Yellow), school buses are fitted with exterior warning lights (to give them traffic priority) and multiple safety devices. (

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General images

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

Image 1Youngman articulated bus in Ürümqi, China (from Bus)
Image 2A Nishitetsu public bus in Fukuoka, Japan (from Bus)
Image 3Retired bus in Israel used as a tow truck (2008) (from Bus)
Image 4Kerb-guided track and adjacent multi-user path along a disused rail line, on the Leigh-Salford-Manchester Bus Rapid Transit (from Guided bus)
Image 5Minibus vehicle from Suzuki Carry used as public transportation of Transjakarta in Indonesia (from Minibus)
Image 6Medium-sized Isuzu Songthaew (truck bus) as seen in Samut Sakhon, Thailand. (from Combination bus)
Image 71965 Mercedes-Benz LPO322 from Sweden, a typical "skvader" (from Bruck (vehicle))
Image 8Irisbus Crealis Neo, an optically guided TEOR bus in Rouen (from Guided bus)
Image 9The Perth Central Area Transit operates as a zero-fare basis for passengers in the Perth central business district (from Public transport bus service)
Image 10New Flyer trolleybus in San Francisco (from Trolleybus)
Image 1114.5-metre 1991 Delta Star 501 on Volvo B10M with cantilever tail lift (from Bruck (vehicle))
Image 12A double-decker bus in Marrakesh, Morocco (from Double-decker bus)
Image 13Lear Steam bus on display in Michigan in 1972 (from Steam bus)
Image 14Underground trolleybus at Kurobe Dam Station (from Trolleybus)
Image 15A semi-open top sightseeing bus in Kaohsiung, Taiwan (from Open top bus)
Image 16An AEC Routemaster, a pioneering 1950s bus design (from Bus manufacturing)
Image 17Interior of a wheelchair-accessible transit bus, with bucket seats and smart-card readers at the exit. (from Transit bus)
Image 181960 Scania-Vabis L75 bodied by Kristiansund Lettmetall, carrying six passengers (from Bruck (vehicle))
Image 19A Kowloon Motor Bus Alexander Dennis Enviro400 in Hong Kong (from Double-decker bus)
Image 20Amédée Bollée's L'Obéissante (1875) (from Bus)
Image 21A 1911 LGOC B-type (from Bus)
Image 22Volvo B5LH single-decker bus in Singapore (from Bus)
Image 23A coach operated by Megabus (from Intercity bus service)
Image 24An articulated Wright Eclipse Fusion, bending as it drives round a corner at the University of Bath, England, May 2008 (from Articulated bus)
Image 25Hino Dutro 110SD 12-seater microbus in Indonesia (from Minibus)
Image 26A Mercedes-Benz Tourismo in Berlin, Germany (from Coach (bus))
Image 27A 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 28A bi-articulated Van Hool ExquiCity 24 on Mettis services at Metz, France (from Bi-articulated bus)
Image 29A Van Hool bi-articulated bus in Hamburg, Germany (from Bi-articulated bus)
Image 30National Express Caetano Levante bodied Scania K340EB 6x2 with wheelchair lift at Metrocentre bus rally in May 2009 (from Low-floor bus)
Image 31YaTB-3 trolleybus on Leningradskoye Highway in Moscow, 1930s (from Double-decker bus)
Image 32A double-deck trolleybus in Reading, England, 1966 (from Trolleybus)
Image 33A bi-articulated bus used on the Brisbane Metro (from Bi-articulated bus)
Image 34A 19-seat low-floor green minibus (from Public light bus)
Image 35A retired bus is used for an ambulance bus in Toronto (2014) (from Bus)
Image 36Barton's unique Dennis Loline, 861 (from Lowbridge double-deck bus)
Image 37Setra S 417 HDH in Mannheim (from Coach (bus))
Image 381983 Repstad-bodied Volvo B10M, converted for transport of racing horses (from Bruck (vehicle))
Image 39Nottingham City Transport Optare Solo M995 in July 2025 (from Low-floor bus)
Image 40MAN A39 in Berlin, Germany (from Double-decker bus)
Image 41LibertyBus in Jersey (from Double-decker bus)
Image 42AKSM-420 Vitovt in Minsk (from Trolleybus)
Image 43Iveco Urbanway (from Articulated bus)
Image 44Many low-floor buses feature extendable ramps. (from Low-floor bus)
Image 45Russian Police Ural-572060 also known as VM-4320 (from Combination bus)
Image 46The first ever internal combustion omnibus, introduced in 1895 (Siegen to Netphen) (from Bus)
Image 47Armoured buses in Israel (from Bus manufacturing)
Image 48LiAZ-6213 in Tyumen (from Low-floor bus)
Image 492009 Volvo 9700HD NG bruck coach from Bussring. In service for Riksteatret, outside their headquarters in Nydalen, Oslo. (from Bruck (vehicle))
Image 50Volvo B7R / 9700S (no. 792, AAI-840, 2006) operated by ExpressBus Savonlinja at Jyväskylä bus station (from Coach (bus))

Did you know? – show different entries

... that public transport in Valparaíso, Chile, includes trolleybuses (pictured) that were built 60 years ago, by Pullman, and were declared a national monument in 2003?

... that the trolleybus system serving Dayton, Ohio, in operation since 1933, is the second-oldest such system in the Western Hemisphere?

... that of more than 300 trolleybus systems currently serving cities worldwide, the 1914-opened trolleybus system in Shanghai is the oldest, and its counterpart in Philadelphia the second-oldest?

... that the bus service Coastliner 700 between Brighton and Southsea on the south coast of England, has been running for more than 35 years?

... that the busiest route of the Weston-super-Mare Tramways ran from an Old Pier to a Sanatorium?

... that the Tietê Bus Terminal in São Paulo, Brazil, is the largest bus terminal in Latin America and the second largest in the world?

... that the November 2010 sale by Silver Star Holidays of its local bus routes around Caernarfon ended nearly ninety years of bus service operation by the company?

... that the bus services in Surat are operated by private partners for the Surat Municipal Corporation under a public–private partnership?

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Selected image

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

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

Bus People

Image 1
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 2
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 3
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 4
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 5
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 6
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 7
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 8
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)
Image 9
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)