Buses are Actually Pretty Great

The humble bus often feel like second-rate transit options when compared to the mighty train, but they are actually incredibly flexible and can be great when done right. Let's talk about them!

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Ever wondered why your city's transit just doesn't seem quite up to snuff? RMTransit is here to answer that, and help you open your eyes to all of the different public transportation systems around the world!

Reece (the RM in RMTransit) is an urbanist and public transport critic residing in Toronto, Canada, with the goal of helping the world become more connected through metros, trams, buses, high-speed trains, and all other transport modes.

[jack]

The big (but fixable) problem with buses is legibility. When I am in a new city I tend to favour rail over bus because the routes etc are transparent and predictable. Bus networks need good information, maps, signage etc.

[fernbedek]

One thing about bus exclusive right of ways that I feel doesn’t get enough press is the fact that it can also be used by most emergency vehicles, ambulances fitting easily and I’m pretty sure fire trucks could fit as well, being about the same size. So, good bus infrastructure saves lives.

[christophermclaren]

I grew up in Crete, Greece and considering the relatively small population of the region and the fact that Greece is a poorer country, the state owned Intercity Buses (What we'd call coaches in the UK) are extremely efficient clean comfortable and cheap. It's very unlikely a train network could ever be built in such a place but you can get a coach to basically any small village town or city on the island. I think growing up with this made me appreciate the benefits of buses/coaches in many situations, such as smaller or poorer areas over rail.

[expojam]

I think North America should adopt the various “kinds” of buses that exist in Europe. You have short distance, with more standing than seating space, and then longer-distance, with lots of seats, free-WiFi, and USB charge ports.

[bomber]

Living in Singapore, I’m pretty fortunate to live in a country with such incredible public transport, having such an efficient train system and bus system combined makes for an awesome experience, and you can definitely get by without a car. Buses in singapore are pretty extensive, and you can typically get anywhere in the country with one or two bus services; plus, most bus services come every 10 minutes or even less, so we don’t even need to check a schedule. Bus tracking systems are pretty detailed too, and you can check how long until the next bus arrives, the subsequent bus, as well as what type of bus it is (double-decker, bendy). With how comfortable the double-decker buses are, I typically enjoy hanging out with my friends while chilling out at the back of the top decks of the buses

[rogersexton]

I would also stress that for buses to be as comfortable as trams and trains, the roads need to in good condition. I had a recent 30 minute ride on a trolleybus in Bratislava. The vehicle was modern and quiet, But the road surface was so bad that the journey made me feel ill.

[SupremeLeaderKimJong-un]

Trains are cool, but buses are just as cool, and the solution to a transit problem depends on the location. In Wuppertal for example, they chose a suspended monorail above the river because of the narrow valley, and it effectively unified the communities. Adelaide chose the O-Bahn Busway which serves its suburbs, the buses avoid traffic with their own guided busway, and they can exit and enter the busway at ease, effectively serving not just Busway stations but also surrounding streets. Buses are a great way to get to a final destination as feeders from train stations, on top of bikes. By prioritizing bicycles, transit, and pedestrian infrastructure, cities can create more livable and vibrant communities!

In Jersey City, one could take the PATH from NYC to Journal Square, and then could take a bus to get to their final destination whether it's somewhere like Union City or maybe JC's The Heights. One could board at one of the bus platforms at the Journal Square Transportation Center which serves an important bus hub, not just for NJ Transit and PATH but also the many jitneys/dollar vans. And it's nice and organized with four different platforms lettered A through D, with each platform having a PATH entrance. Not to mention Journal Square also participates in the Citi Bike program just like other locations in Jersey City, Hoboken, and of course NYC. Thus expanding the reach of the Citi Bike program and providing an alternative for more people.

[rogersexton]

Thank you for an excellent video. Writing as a British commentator, l would however stress that for buses to be an excellent form of public transport they need to be controlled by public bodies. The Britsh privatisation and deregulation of buses has been disastrous..

[AverytheCubanAmerican]

Even though MTR dominates the market in Hong Kong, buses are still a force to be reckon with. Since bus companies in Hong Kong are all private, there is always competition with one another and even with MTR. Long express routes can even be very frequent (departures within every 5 minutes) and can be serving parallel to the MTR. This is why I believe the combination of MTR and buses in Hong Kong is, in my opinion, the key to making HK one of the most successful transport hubs in the world! Heck, you can even get to their Disneyland using the MTR system, which has its own dedicated line that acts as a shuttle between Sunny Bay on the Tung Chung Line and Disneyland Resort. And the trains look so cute!

On Oahu, TheBus has a big network. These vehicles provide daily service on 106 routes, including three rapid transit routes and two limited express routes. Because of low cost and wide coverage, many high school students have used the network to get to where they need to go, and since July 2023, it is free for high school students to use the system! And with the Skyline, TheBus acts as feeder services to get people to their final destination from the stations. And on the topic of trolleybuses, even a city like Pyongyang in North Korea has trolleybuses, as it began operations in 1962 and currently has 12 lines! The Pyongyang trolleybuses are in harmony with the trams and Pyongyang Metro.

[alejo]

The thing about buses is they can only go as fast as the traffic around them, which makes it a slow system for highly congested roads. This can be solved with fully dedicated lanes, but then rail would be applicable as well and would have a higher capacity and speed. I might be biased though since I've lived all my life in a city with very poor quality mobility that relies almost only on buses, Lima. Loved the video, cheers from Peru.

Living in submilion city in EU with trams and buses i would say that bus is always less comfortable than tram. Even on smooth surface there are tighter curves and bus is bouncing more to sides than tram, which is a problem if you are standing and trying to read a book ;)

[fbiopenup]

Thank you for making this, for some reason in this community there's a lot of hate for busses. As a Londoner busses are lowkey the unsung heroes of this city.
Stay healthy and stay blessed brother.

[kueller]

In Paris a surprising amount of residents overlook the bus due to the comprehensive metro system. Many times people are surprised to discover their 2-metro + walking trips could be a single direct bus line. If I'm carrying something heavy it also lets me avoid the sometimes multiple flights of stairs to get to and from the trains. You also get nice scenery since they are street running. I've told people the cheapest tour bus you can get is bus #69 (nice) which hits a ton of landmarks.

A big downside though is the same positive I mentioned - street running. Unlike a metro with a dedicated right-of-way buses have to stop at intersections and are more subject to blockage. During the march protests my local bus line was nearly non-existent due to always getting stuck at the protests downtown.

[lachd]

In Sydney the new government has been talking about fixing on road transport. We're going to have a terrific railway system when the metro opens next year, but Western Sydney is still going to have bad last mile connections. When buses are given right of way and dedicated lanes on major arterial roads, they can be very effective.

[acfbrown]

Generally speaking buses can be pretty good if they are controlled/regulated by the municipality such as in London or Edinburgh where I live but in places where they've been deregulated the service is not so good such as e.g. Glasgow.

[paupadros]

Buses are great for what they are. Low upfront costs, high operating costs for routes where there is no demand or need for speed for rail. Pretty useful for connecting other modes too.

[WilliamChan]

I remember being in high school and complaining about the TTC busses we had to ride home. My friend from northern China then told me they're actually not too bad in his experience, so that kind of gave me the first moment of pause to really give busses a fair shake.

[brighton_dude]

Here in the UK we have a lot of double-decker buses. When I was young I would always go up to the top deck. Now I am older I go to the bottom deck but I am so glad the young ones all go up to the top deck. 😀

[theearlofwellington]

i would LOVE to get more toronto bus content. you're always touting the TTC's suburban bus network as being among the best in north america, but you don't have a dedicated video discussing ~why~ that is!

[fhh]

The problem with flexibility is a lack of dependability. Just ask yourself: would you rather buy a home next to a new bus stop or a new train station or tram stop?

Both lines could be discontinued, but rail routes take more effort to rip up and generally come with more advanced warning. A bus can be rerouted at the stroke of a pen.