Buses are an integral part of transportation systems around the world. Whether shuttling commuters to work, taking students to school, or enabling travelers to explore new destinations, buses move millions of people each day. But beneath their familiar exteriors lies a diverse range of remarkable buses with extraordinary claims to fame.
Beyond Commuting: Surprising Facts About Buses
From the longest buses ever built to buses recognized as national treasures, read on as we highlight some of the most fascinating facts and superlative buses that make the world of buses anything but boring.
The World’s Most Remarkable Buses
Let’s start our tour through the wonderful world of buses by meeting some record-breakers who push the limits of bus design.
World’s Largest Bus
In 2012, Volvo built the world’s largest bus as a specially commissioned project for the Swedish travel company Strömma Turism & Sjöfart. The bus measures over 19.5 meters (nearly 65 ft) long and 4.5 meters tall—roughly the size of a two-story house!
Despite its massive size, the bus only has a passenger capacity of 96 people. That’s because the lower deck was designed exclusively for entertainment featuring two bars, TVs, and an onboard kitchen. The spacious upper deck seats passengers to enjoy panoramic views from oversized windows running the length of the bus.
Created to serve sightseeing tours and host events, today the world’s largest bus resides at the Volvo Bus Museum.
World’s Smallest Bus
What’s considered the world’s smallest bus was built in 1964 by Bedford CA, a British manufacturer now defunct. The unique mini-bus measured just 4.57 meters (about 15 ft) long and 2 meters wide.
Despite its tiny size, the bus featured normal seating for 5 people plus the driver. Its small dimensions allowed the bus to easily navigate narrow village lanes throughout the United Kingdom.
Incredibly, after changing ownership several times, the miniscule bus sold at auction in 2011 for £25,000—over 50 times its original 1964 value!
World’s Tallest Bus
Hailing from Germany is the Neoplan Jumbocruiser, recognized as the world’s tallest bus. This double-decker bus measures a towering 4.38 meters high, about the height of a two-story house!
To match its vertical scale, the bus stretches to a lengthy 15 meters long. Inside, it provides seating for 149 passengers over two levels.
While only a handful of these buses were produced exclusively for sightseeing purposes, the Jumbocruiser still makes heads turn thanks to its mammoth size whenever it passes through German city streets.
The Lengthy Marvels
The longest buses ever built exceed even train-car lengths to form road-based behemoths snaking through traffic.
The World’s Longest Bus
What’s considered the world’s longest bus measures a staggering 30 meters (over 98 ft) long! That’s longer than two city transit buses joined together.
This bus behemoth is named AutoTram Extra Grand and operates as a special sightseeing bus in Germany. Inside its never-ending chassis is a standing room for 256 passengers who can climb two separate staircases to access both decks.
Introduced in 2010, the Extra Grand bus continues to ferry tourists on Tegernsee lake tours in Bavaria. Riders can relax on the top-level open deck to admire mountain scenery along one of Europe’s longest excursion routes.
Noteworthy Super-Long Buses Throughout History
The world’s longest bus title has changed hands through history as bus manufacturers continued extending road-based leviathans.
Back in the 1950s, a hot dog-shaped bus called the Super Golden Eagle II debuted as the longest bus ever built at 27 meters (89 ft) long. It featured onboard amenities like a steering lounge, dining spaces, lavatories, and sleeping quarters.
But as World’s Fair buses grew larger through the 1960s to ferry more visitors, the record passed to a new decade-defining bus. Expo ’70 in Japan unveiled the 29.8 meter (98 ft) Fuji EXPO ’70 Jumbo Bus. This iconic Japanese bus with its bullet train-inspired nose cone became a moving symbol of EXPO ’70. Its enormity awed visitors who could peer down and observe traffic below from an upper-level moving deck.
Innovative Features and Designs
Beyond record-setting lengths, buses worldwide showcase innovative styles and eye-catching designs.
Unusual Bus Designs Around the Globe
Asia impresses with colorful buses decorated in ornate paintings blending spiritual imagery with nature motifs. These Pakistani “jingle trucks” represent a beloved folk art tradition evident on buses and lorries nationwide.
In Japan, kawaii anime character buses offer cute transport in cities countrywide. Special edition buses feature Doraemon and Hello Kitty alongside other famed manga stars attracting fans and commuters alike.
European communities create unique buses that honor cultural traditions. A vineyard bus in Italy doubles as a moving wine bar, while a sauna bus in Finland transports passengers between Helsinki and Saukoniemi offering soothing steam baths en route.
Futuristic Bus Concepts
From China arrives news of an elevated “straddling bus.” This futuristic people-mover designed by Transit Explore Bus hovers nearly two meters above roadways. As it rides on tracks straddling car lanes, vehicles can still pass underneath the hovering deck. While currently only a concept awaiting production, tests showcase a promising future design.
Meanwhile, Mercedes Benz visioned the 2030 Citysphere Concept. This autonomous electric luxury vehicle maneuvers like a nimble mini-bus. Passengers sit in swiveling lounge chairs occupying a welcoming retreat mood-lit by LED strips. The spherical interior layout maximizes space allowing custom configurations from private office to group hang-out based on user preferences set via mobile app.
Fun and Surprising Bus Trivia
Beyond remarkable designs lie surprising statistics plus quirky trivia spanning the globe.
Quirky Facts and Figures
As sustainable transportation advances, 2020 marked the launch of the world’s first seaweed-powered bus in the UK. The renewable biofuel it runs on produces 80% less carbon dioxide than diesel.
Pennsylvania holds the record for the most ghost bus stops in America with 165 inactive bus stops that serve…absolutely no purpose. Some stand forlorn for over 20 years due to changing routes and budgets over time.
Thailand leads the world in the most decorated buses. Thai drivers embellish their buses with lucky charms, flashy lights, and neon silhouettes to both attract customers and ward off evil spirits.
Bus Records and Achievements
When it comes to distance traveled, no bus comes close to the world record set in 2006 by a Pakistan-India bus service. Totaling the entire route traveled between Lahore and New Delhi, the record-setting bus completed a journey of 1,118 km or nearly 700 miles!
In over 53 years of James Bond films, movie star Pierce Brosnan holds the record for the most destructive chase scene aboard a double-decker bus racing through traffic and plowing through street market stalls in 2002’s Die Another Day.
Symbolic Buses
Some buses that have made history or traveled famous routes are considered national heirlooms today.
Buses That Are National Treasures
Rosa Parks’ bus became an enduring symbol of civil rights after her pivotal arrest in 1955 for refusing to give up her bus seat to a white passenger in Montgomery, Alabama. That original bus now resides in a museum in Detroit as a monument representing the power of protest.
Across the Atlantic lies the iconic red London double-decker bus. An unmistakable British icon since 1960, the classic Routemaster bus design is so cherished that updated models still carry people across London today.
In South America, Chile preserves Latin pop legend Violeta Parra’s iconic bus home as a national landmark. The visionary folk artist converted a bus into her mobile home and makeshift stage to spread her music throughout Chile during an influential 1950s era.
Conclusion
Buses may seem like routine vehicles. But they represent far more. As these fascinating stories show, buses of all kinds connect communities, influence culture, and sometimes even make history.
So the next time you hop aboard your morning commute, take a moment to ponder the extraordinary buses that came before and imagine what future buses may achieve as transport continues to evolve around the world. Because buses have long been—and will likely remain—an integral part of our shared journey on the open road ahead.
