Inside An Old Bus

Tucked away from the trappings of modern time, you sit sunning yourself through the foggy glass, slightly warped with years of yellowing in the city sun. The hard seat feels somewhat less lounge-like than other busses you have been in, but the nostalgic way that the suspension creaks and the engine groans is somehow the ultimate afternoon inspiration for your daydreaming. Horse drawn buses were used from 1820, followed by steam buses in the 1830 and electric trolleybuses in 1882. The first buses powered by internal combustion engines were used 1895 and this is still the most common power source. Recently there has been growing interest in hybrid electric buses, fuel cell buses, electric buses as well as ones powered by compressed natural gas or bio-diesel. Historically, the types and features of buses have developed according to local needs. Buses were fitted with technology appropriate to the local climate or passenger needs, such as air conditioning in Asia, or cycle mounts on North American buses. The bus types in use around the world where there was little mass production were often sourced second hand from other countries, such as the Malta bus, and buses in use in Africa. Other countries such as Cuba required novel solutions to import restrictions, with the creation of the “camellos” (camel bus), a specially manufactured trailer bus. After the Second World War, manufacturers in Europe and the Far East, such as Mercedes-Benz buses and Mitsubishi Fuso expanded into other continents influencing the use of buses previously served by local types. Use of buses around the world has also been influenced by colonial associations or political alliances between countries. Several of the Commonwealth nations followed the British lead and sourced buses from British manufacturers, leading to a prevalence of double-decker buses.