A bus (archaically also omnibus, multibus, motorbus, autobus) is a road vehicle designed to carry many passengers. Buses can have a capacity as high as 50 sitting passengers.
The most common type of bus is the single-deckrigid bus, with larger loads carried by double-Decker and articulated buses, and smaller loads carried by midibuses and minibuses; 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 do not charge a fare. In many jurisdictions, bus drivers require a special licence above and beyond a regular driver’s licence.
Private Bus Journey in Tamil Nadu – VIDEO
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.
Transit buses used to be mainly high-floor vehicles. However, they are now increasingly of low-floor design and optionally also ‘kneel’ air suspension and have electrically or hydraulically extended under-floor ramps to provide level access for wheelchair users and people with baby carriages. Prior to more general use of such technology, these wheelchair users could only use specialist para transit mobility buses.