Ausden Clark Executive Coach in Black and Pink Livery

A coach (also known as a motorcoach or coach bus) is a type of

bus A bus (contracted from omnibus, with variants multibus, motorbus, autobus, etc.) is a motor vehicle that carries significantly more passengers than an average car or van, but fewer than the average rail transport. It is most commonly used ...

built for longer distance service, in contrast to

transit bus A transit bus (also big bus, commuter bus, city bus, town bus, urban bus, stage bus, public bus, public transit bus, or simply bus) is a type of bus used in public transport bus services. Several configurations are used, including low-floo ...

es that are typically used for shorter journeys within a single metropolitan region. Often used for touring,

intercity InterCity (commonly abbreviated ''IC'' on timetables and tickets) is the train categories in Europe, classification applied to certain long-distance passenger train services in Europe. Such trains (in contrast to InterRegio, regional train, r ...

, and international bus service, coaches are also used for private charter for various purposes. Deriving the name from horse-drawn carriages and

stagecoach A stagecoach (also: stage coach, stage, road coach, ) is a four-wheeled public transport coach used to carry paying passengers and light packages on journeys long enough to need a change of horses. It is strongly sprung and generally drawn by ...

es that carried passengers, luggage, and mail, modern motor coaches are almost always

high-floor High-floor describes the interior flooring of commuter vehicles primarily used in public transport such as trains, light rail cars and other rail transport, rail vehicles, along with buses and trolleybuses. Interior floor height is generally mea ...

buses, with separate luggage hold mounted below the passenger compartment. In contrast to transit buses, motor coaches typically feature forward-facing seating, with no provision for standing. Other accommodations may include onboard restrooms, televisions, and overhead luggage space. The name used for this type of bus varies between countries. In United States they are officially designated as motorcoach ''("a bus designed with an elevated passenger deck located over a baggage compartment"'''')'' as well as being referred to as coach bus. In United Kingdom, Europe, Australia and many other countries they are called coach. In Japan they are called Highway Bus, while those operating airport services are called Airport Limousine or Limousine Bus.

History

Background

Horse-drawn

chariot A chariot is a type of vehicle similar to a cart, driven by a charioteer, usually using horses to provide rapid Propulsion, motive power. The oldest known chariots have been found in burials of the Sintashta culture in modern-day Chelyabinsk O ...

s and

carriages A carriage is a two- or four-wheeled horse-drawn vehicle for passengers. In Europe they were a common mode of transport for the wealthy during the Roman Empire, and then again from around 1600 until they were replaced by the motor car around 1 ...

("coaches") were used by the wealthy and powerful where the roads were of a high enough standard from possibly 3000 BC. In

Hungary Hungary is a landlocked country in Central Europe. Spanning much of the Pannonian Basin, Carpathian Basin, it is bordered by Slovakia to the north, Ukraine to the northeast, Romania to the east and southeast, Serbia to the south, Croatia and ...

, during the reign of King

Matthias Corvinus Matthias Corvinus (; ; ; ; ; ) was King of Hungary and King of Croatia, Croatia from 1458 to 1490, as Matthias I. He is often given the epithet "the Just". After conducting several military campaigns, he was elected King of Bohemia in 1469 and ...

in the 15th century, the wheelwrights of

Kocs Kocs () is a village in Komárom-Esztergom county, Hungary. It lies west of Tata (Hungary), Tata and northwest of Budapest. A site of horse-drawn vehicle manufacture from the 1400s, the name is the source of the word ''carriage, coach'' and its e ...

began to build a horse-drawn vehicle with steel-spring suspension. This "cart of Kocs" as the Hungarians called it () soon became popular all over Europe. The imperial post service employed the first horse-drawn mail coaches in Europe since Roman times in 1650, and as they started in the town of Kocs, the use of these mail coaches gave rise to the term "coach".

Stagecoach A stagecoach (also: stage coach, stage, road coach, ) is a four-wheeled public transport coach used to carry paying passengers and light packages on journeys long enough to need a change of horses. It is strongly sprung and generally drawn by ...

es (drawn by horses) were used for transport between cities from about 1500 in Great Britain until displaced by the arrival of the railways. One of the earliest motorized vehicles was the

charabanc A charabanc or "char-à-banc" (often pronounced "sharra-bang" in colloquial British English) is a type of horse-drawn vehicle or early coach (vehicle), motor coach, usually open-topped, common in UK, Britain during the early part of the 20th ...

, which was used for short journeys and excursions until the early years of the 20th century. The first "motor coaches" were purchased by operators of those

horse-drawn vehicle A horse-drawn vehicle is a piece of equipment pulled by one or more horses. These vehicles typically have two or four wheels and were used to carry passengers or a load. They were once common worldwide, but they have mostly been replaced by auto ...

s in the early 20th century by operators such as

Royal Blue Coach Services Royal Blue Express Services was a coach operator in the south and west of England from 1880 until 1986. History Origins The Royal Blue business was founded in 1880 by Thomas Elliott in Bournemouth. The business, at first known as Royal Bl ...

, who purchased their first charabanc in 1913 and were running 72 coaches by 1926.

Features

Coaches are designed for comfort, as passengers are onboard for significant periods of time on long journeys, or the hirer desires a high standard of comfort on shorter trips. They can vary considerably in quality: some higher-specification coaches feature luxury seats and refreshments, while others may only have the bare essentials such as non-reclining highback seats and an underfloor baggage compartment. Coaches typically have only a single, narrow door, but some may have two doors - it can be a tradeoff between faster passenger boarding/alighting times and having 2-4 extra seats. Seats are normally in a configuration of 2 seats either side of a central aisle - or in premium coaches there can be 2 seats on one side of the aisle and 1 seat on the other side (for example, ''"excellent"'' and ''"premium"'' class Intercity/Express buses in South Korea), or even 1 seat either side of the aisle in luxury coaches. Other seating layouts can be found on coaches built for a specific purpose (e.g. some overnight buses in Japan have 3 single seats with 2 narrow aisles). Some characteristics include: *

Air conditioning Air conditioning, often abbreviated as A/C (US) or air con (UK), is the process of removing heat from an enclosed space to achieve a more comfortable interior temperature, and in some cases, also controlling the humidity of internal air. Air c ...

is installed on virtually every modern coach. * Comfortable highback

seats A seat is a place to sit. The term may encompass additional features, such as back, armrest, head restraint but may also refer to concentrations of power in a wider sense (i.e " seat (legal entity)"). See disambiguation. Types of seat The ...

- covered in

cloth Textile is an umbrella term that includes various fiber-based materials, including fibers, yarns, filaments, threads, and different types of fabric. At first, the word "textiles" only referred to woven fabrics. However, weaving is n ...

fabric Textile is an umbrella term that includes various fiber-based materials, including fibers, yarns, filaments, threads, and different types of fabric. At first, the word "textiles" only referred to woven fabrics. However, weaving is no ...

leatherette Artificial leather, also called synthetic leather, is a material intended to substitute for leather in upholstery, clothing, footwear, and other uses where a leather-like finish is desired but the actual material is cost prohibitive or unsuitab ...

(or even

leather Leather is a strong, flexible and durable material obtained from the tanning (leather), tanning, or chemical treatment, of animal skins and hides to prevent decay. The most common leathers come from cattle, sheep, goats, equine animals, buffal ...

in some luxury coaches) - that recline and can include a fold-out tray table and/or beverage holder, and armrests. * Luggage racks above the seats for storing carry-on bags. * Luggage compartment, accessed from outside the vehicle, under the main floor (or sometimes at the rear) * Personal reading light and adjustable air conditioning outlet above the seat * On-board

restrooms A public toilet, restroom, bathroom or washroom is a room or small building with toilets (or urinals) and sinks for use by the general public. The facilities are available to customers, travelers, employees of a business, school pupils or pris ...

fitted with

chemical toilet A chemical toilet collects human waste in a holding tank and uses chemicals to minimize odors. They do not require a connection to a water supply and are used in a wide variety of situations. These toilets are usually, but not always, self-conta ...

s, hand basins and soap or

hand sanitizer Hand sanitizer (also known as hand antiseptic, hand disinfectant, hand rub, or handrub) is a liquid, gel, or foam used to kill viruses, bacteria, and other microorganisms on the hands. It can also come in the form of a cream, spray, or wipe. W ...

* On some coaches, on-board entertainment including movies may be shown to passengers * On-board refreshment service provided by an attendant or a

vending machine A vending machine is an automated machine that dispenses items such as snacks, beverages, cigarettes, and lottery tickets to consumers after cash, a credit card, or other forms of payment are inserted into the machine or payment is otherwise m ...

Wheelchair A wheelchair is a mobilized form of chair using two or more wheels, a footrest, and an armrest usually cushioned. It is used when walking is difficult or impossible to do due to illnesses, injury, disabilities, or age-related health conditio ...

accessible. This is generally provided using a

wheelchair lift A wheelchair lift, also known as a platform lift, or vertical platform lift, is a fully powered device designed to raise a wheelchair and its occupant in order to overcome a step or similar vertical barrier. Wheelchair lifts can be installed in ...

, although some coaches are in a partial (or full) double-deck layout able to accommodate wheelchair(s) and optionally a small number of regular seats on the lower level, with access by a portable or foldout ramp, with the remainder of the lower level normally used for luggage storage and a toilet. *

Curtain A curtain is a piece of cloth or other material intended to block or obscure light, air drafts, or (in the case of a shower curtain) water. Curtains are often hung on the inside of a building's windows to block the passage of light. For instan ...

s or

blinds A window blind is a type of window covering. There are many different kinds of window blinds which use a variety of control systems. A typical window blind is made up of several long horizontal or vertical slats of various types of hard mate ...

, useful on overnight services or to block harsh sunlight * Onboard

AC power In an electric circuit, instantaneous power is the time rate of flow of energy past a given point of the circuit. In alternating current circuits, energy storage elements such as inductors and capacitors may result in periodic reversals of the d ...

, USB charging ports and

Wi-Fi Wi-Fi () is a family of wireless network protocols based on the IEEE 802.11 family of standards, which are commonly used for Wireless LAN, local area networking of devices and Internet access, allowing nearby digital devices to exchange data by ...

access *

Seat belt A seat belt, also known as a safety belt or spelled seatbelt, is a vehicle safety device designed to secure the driver or a passenger of a vehicle against harmful movement that may result during a collision or a sudden stop. A seat belt reduce ...

for safety

Manufacture

Coaches, like buses, may be fully built by integrated manufacturers, or a separate

chassis A chassis (, ; plural ''chassis'' from French châssis ) is the load-bearing framework of a manufactured object, which structurally supports the object in its construction and function. An example of a chassis is a vehicle frame, the underpart ...

consisting of only an engine, wheels and basic frame may be delivered to a

coachwork A coachbuilder manufactures bodies for passenger-carrying vehicles. The trade of producing coachwork began with bodies for horse-drawn vehicles. Today it includes custom automobiles, buses, motor coaches, and railway carriages. The word ...

factory for a body to be added. A few coaches are built with

monocoque Monocoque ( ), also called structural skin, is a structural system in which loads are supported by an object's external skin, in a manner similar to an egg shell. The word ''monocoque'' is a French term for "single shell". First used for boats, ...

bodies without a chassis frame. Integrated manufacturers (most of whom also supply chassis) include Autosan,

Scania Scania ( ), also known by its native name of Skåne (), is the southernmost of the historical provinces of Sweden, provinces () of Sweden. Located in the south tip of the geographical region of Götaland, the province is roughly conterminous w ...

, Fuso, and

Alexander Dennis Alexander Dennis is a British bus manufacturing company based in Larbert, Scotland. The largest bus and coach manufacturer in the United Kingdom, with a 50% market share in 2019, it has manufacturing plants and partnerships in Canada, China, ...

. Major coachwork providers (some of whom can build their own chassis) include

Van Hool Van Hool NV () was a Belgium, Belgian coachbuilder and manufacturer of buses, Coach (bus), coaches, trolleybuses, and Semi-trailer, trailers. Most of the buses and coaches were built entirely by Van Hool, with engines and axles sourced from C ...

Neoplan Neoplan Bus GmbH is a German automotive company that manufactures buses, trolleybuses and coaches. It became a subsidiary of MAN Truck & Bus SE in 2001. History Early days The company was founded by (1903–1993) in Stuttgart in 19 ...

, Marcopolo,

Irizar Irizar Group is a Spain, Spanish-based manufacturer of luxury buses and coach (vehicle), coaches. Established in 1889, the company is located in Ormaiztegi in the Basque Country (autonomous community), Basque Country, Spain. With a commercial pres ...

, MCI, Prevost,

Volvo The Volvo Group (; legally Aktiebolaget Volvo, shortened to AB Volvo, stylized as VOLVO) is a Swedish multinational manufacturing corporation headquartered in Gothenburg. While its core activity is the production, distribution and sale of truck ...

, Denning Manufacturing in

Australia Australia, officially the Commonwealth of Australia, is a country comprising mainland Australia, the mainland of the Australia (continent), Australian continent, the island of Tasmania and list of islands of Australia, numerous smaller isl ...

and Designline in

New Zealand New Zealand () is an island country in the southwestern Pacific Ocean. It consists of two main landmasses—the North Island () and the South Island ()—and List of islands of New Zealand, over 600 smaller islands. It is the List of isla ...

Regulations

In some European countries following the 1958 type certification treaty, coach (that is vehicle of type M2 or M3) type certification is regulated by regulation number 107 from the UNECE. In the U.S., commercial drivers of motorcoaches are regulated by the Federal Motor Carrier Safety Administration (FMCSA). Drivers of buses & coaches require a

Commercial driver's license A commercial driver's license (CDL) is a driver's license required in the United States to operate large and heavy vehicles (including trucks, buses, and trailers) or a vehicle of any size that transports hazardous materials or more than 15 ...

(a higher class of license than is required to drive a car). Many states/countries also require bus/coach drivers to obtain an additional certification to carry paying passengers - for example

United Kingdom The United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern Ireland, commonly known as the United Kingdom (UK) or Britain, is a country in Northwestern Europe, off the coast of European mainland, the continental mainland. It comprises England, Scotlan ...

European Union The European Union (EU) is a supranational union, supranational political union, political and economic union of Member state of the European Union, member states that are Geography of the European Union, located primarily in Europe. The u ...

require a Driver Certificate of Professional Competence (Driver CPC) Seat belts for drivers and all passengers are now legally required in many countries - for example United Kingdom. Refer to: Overview of Seat Belt Legislation by Country.

Image gallery

Modern coaches

A representative selection of vehicles currently (or recently) in use in different parts of the world. File:Cropped 1500 series.jpg, A 56-passenger Prevost coach in Canada File:Mercedes-Benz Tourismo, Berlin (20180910 131322).jpg, A Mercedes-Benz Tourismo in

Berlin Berlin ( ; ) is the Capital of Germany, capital and largest city of Germany, by both area and List of cities in Germany by population, population. With 3.7 million inhabitants, it has the List of cities in the European Union by population withi ...

, Germany File:KIA Granbird Silkroad 2015.jpg, A Kia Granbird Silkroad from 2015 at the Seoul Motor Show File:Stagecoach Neoplans on Oxford Tube.JPG, Double-decker

s operating the Oxford to London coach route File:MAZ-251 MinskOblautotrans No. 152.jpg, MAZ-251 in

Minsk Minsk (, ; , ) is the capital and largest city of Belarus, located on the Svislach (Berezina), Svislach and the now subterranean Nyamiha, Niamiha rivers. As the capital, Minsk has a special administrative status in Belarus and is the administra ...

, Belarus File:Jrbuskanto-chitaseagull-20070907.jpg, Hino S'elega in Tokyo, Japan File:Savonlinja Volvo B7R 9700S.jpg,

ExpressBus ExpressBus is a Finland, Finnish express coach network covering most of Finland. It is a joint marketing brand of three coach operators and it was launched in 1991. The fleet has around 100 coaches with a white base colour and a red-blue arrow. T ...

Savonlinja Volvo B7R / 9700S (no. 792, AAI-840, 2006) at

Jyväskylä Jyväskylä () is a city in Finland and the regional capital of Central Finland. It is located in the Finnish Lakeland. The population of Jyväskylä is approximately , while the Jyväskylä sub-region, sub-region has a population of approximately ...

bus station File:Plaxton Elite YN10 FKM Selwyns National Express.jpg, Plaxton-bodied Volvo B9R operated by National Express File:MAN coach, Wilms-bus-touristik in Saarburg, bild 4.JPG,

MAN A man is an adult male human. Before adulthood, a male child or adolescent is referred to as a boy. Like most other male mammals, a man's genome usually inherits an X chromosome from the mother and a Y chromosome from the f ...

Lion's coach L File:Alinsabus(6507-HLF) - Flickr - antoniovera1.jpg, An

i6 built on a MAN chassis File:Greyhound-Bus.jpg, Greyhound Lines MCI 102DL3 Coach bus File:Irisbus Magelys Busworld 2007.JPG, An

Iveco Bus Iveco Bus, formerly Irisbus, is a bus manufacturer with headquarters in Turin. Iveco Bus is now only a brand division of Iveco which is a company incorporated under Dutch law and listed on Borsa Italiana. History Iveco (1975–1999) In 1975 F ...

(Irisbus) Magelys at Busworld 2007 File:Setra S 417 HDH in Mannheim 100 9272.jpg, Setra S 417 HDH in

Mannheim Mannheim (; Palatine German language, Palatine German: or ), officially the University City of Mannheim (), is the List of cities in Baden-Württemberg by population, second-largest city in Baden-Württemberg after Stuttgart, the States of Ger ...

File:Shuttle Bus RMUTT 40-0785.jpg, Hino Coach Bus in RMUTT ( Pathumthani,

Thailand Thailand, officially the Kingdom of Thailand and historically known as Siam (the official name until 1939), is a country in Southeast Asia on the Mainland Southeast Asia, Indochinese Peninsula. With a population of almost 66 million, it spa ...

) File:Airport Limousine Bus (Airport Transport Service Co Ltd). 439 Mitsubishi Fuso Aero Ace, At Akihabara Station.png, Airport Limousine Bus. Mitsubishi Fuso Aero Ace in Tokyo, Japan

Vintage coaches

A selection of vehicles in use in different parts of the world in the past. File:Southdown 649.JPG, A

Leyland Tiger The Leyland Tiger, also known as the B43, was a mid-engined bus and coach chassis manufactured by Leyland between 1981 and 1992. This name had previously been used for a front-engined bus built between 1927 and 1968. It replaced the Leyland L ...

used by

Southdown Motor Services Southdown Motor Services (until 1992 legally Southdown Motors Services Ltd) was a bus and coach operator in East and West Sussex and parts of Hampshire in southern England. It was formed in 1915 and had various owners throughout its history, ...

in England File:1961_Restored_Bedford.jpg, Bedford SB 1961 coach owned by MacBraynes Bus File:Bedford VAL Duple Viceroy.jpg, Bedford VAL File:King_Alfred_1931_Short_bodied_Dennis_30cwt.jpg, Short bodied

Dennis Dennis or Denis is a first or last name from the Greco-Roman name Dionysius, via one of the Christian saints named Dionysius. The name came from Dionysus, the Greek god of ecstatic states, particularly those produced by wine, which is some ...

1931 King Alfred File:MCI MC 6 MH.jpg,

Greyhound Lines Greyhound Lines, Inc. is an American operator of Intercity bus service, intercity bus services. Greyhound operates the largest intercity bus network in the United States, and also operates charter and Amtrak Thruway services, as well as interci ...

MCI MC 6 coach built by Motor Coach Industries File:ZiS 127 in Tallinn.JPG, ZIS-127 in

Tallinn Tallinn is the capital city, capital and List of cities in Estonia, most populous city of Estonia. Situated on a Tallinn Bay, bay in north Estonia, on the shore of the Gulf of Finland of the Baltic Sea, it has a population of (as of 2025) and ...

File:Royal Air Force in the Middle East, 1944-1945. CM5691.jpg, A Pullman bus of the

Nairn Transport Company The Nairn Transport Company was a pioneering motor transport company that operated a trans-desert route from Beirut Beirut ( ; ) is the Capital city, capital and largest city of Lebanon. , Greater Beirut has a population of 2.5 millio ...

for the Damascus- Baghdad service across the desert

References

* Anderson, R. C. A. and Frankis, G. (1970). ''History of Royal Blue Express Services''. David & Charles.

External links

BBC Time Shift: The Modern Age of Coach Travel
{{Authority control Buses by type