When the Rubber Hits the Road

Abstract

The motor bus is the historic successor to all previous forms of surface public transportation systems. It proceeds from the horse-drawn omnibus and horsestreetcar technologies, and trolleys.

The bus provides public transportation service over public streets and highways, although separated rights-of-way (busways) are provided in some cases for faster service. While the capacity of a single bus varies widely depending upon its specific design, bus services can accommodate as few as 50 passengers an hour to as much as 7000 to 8000 passengers per hour. Because they use local streets, buses can pick-up and drop-off passengers closer to their desired origins and destinations than rapid transit. For many parts of the country, buses are the only, or primary, form of public transportation

New York City has, and has had, one of the largest bus systems in the world, despite the fact that it operates in a region dominated by one of the largest rapid transit systems in the world. On a typical weekday, more than 2.4 million passengers ride the buses of New York City.