Customised buses are
buses that have been
modified for
decorative
Beauty is commonly described as a feature of objects that makes them pleasure, pleasurable to perceive. Such objects include landscapes, sunsets, humans and works of art. Beauty, art and taste are the main subjects of aesthetics, one of the fie ...
purposes. The customisation is unrelated to performing their job or work, usually as
public transport
Public transport (also known as public transit, mass transit, or simply transit) are forms of transport available to the general public. It typically uses a fixed schedule, route and charges a fixed fare. There is no rigid definition of whic ...
buses. Customised buses are also sometimes not used for a job or work, and are decorated as personal projects for exhibition, although this is rare compared to other types of art vehicle such as
cars,
bikes and
customised trucks.
Customisation detail
The customisation usually involves:
* Custom exterior and interior
paint schemes, including phrases and proverbs and people, such as religious
icon
An icon () is a religious work of art, most commonly a painting, in the cultures of the Eastern Orthodox, Oriental Orthodox, Catholic Church, Catholic, and Lutheranism, Lutheran churches. The most common subjects include Jesus, Mary, mother of ...
s.
* Extra decorative visual elements, such as extra lights and reflectors, flags, banners and bunting or religious symbols and artefacts.
* Modified
body parts such more elaborate
grilles,
wheel
A wheel is a rotating component (typically circular in shape) that is intended to turn on an axle Bearing (mechanical), bearing. The wheel is one of the key components of the wheel and axle which is one of the Simple machine, six simple machin ...
arches,
exhaust
Exhaust, exhaustive, or exhaustion may refer to:
Law
* Exhaustion of intellectual property rights, limits to intellectual property rights in patent and copyright law
** Exhaustion doctrine, in patent law
** Exhaustion doctrine under U.S. law, i ...
s
Incidences of customisation
The island of
Malta
Malta, officially the Republic of Malta, is an island country in Southern Europe located in the Mediterranean Sea, between Sicily and North Africa. It consists of an archipelago south of Italy, east of Tunisia, and north of Libya. The two ...
has had a long tradition of customising
their buses used for public transport, due to the variety of models imported, and the small nature of garage facilities. The customisation in Malta is understated compared to other countries. In the 2000s a drive was initiated to update the fleet with more modern buses, but historic examples remain, and the tradition of customisation has continued for the modern models.
The ''
Colectivo'' urban buses of Argentina, particularly
Buenos Aires
Buenos Aires, controlled by the government of the Autonomous City of Buenos Aires, is the Capital city, capital and largest city of Argentina. It is located on the southwest of the Río de la Plata. Buenos Aires is classified as an Alpha− glob ...
, were historically highly-customised with a technique called
fileteado, dating back to the 1920s. The practice of customisation continued until the adoption of more modern public transport buses which saw the practice fade out. Historic customised Colectivos are now prized museum exhibits, or have been restored as private vehicles.
The
Chiva Buses of
Colombia
Colombia, officially the Republic of Colombia, is a country primarily located in South America with Insular region of Colombia, insular regions in North America. The Colombian mainland is bordered by the Caribbean Sea to the north, Venezuel ...
are hand-built on truck
chassis, used as both public transport and for private hire for parties, including as a novelty attraction in
New York City
New York, often called New York City (NYC), is the most populous city in the United States, located at the southern tip of New York State on one of the world's largest natural harbors. The city comprises five boroughs, each coextensive w ...
.
The jeep derived "
Jeepney"
share taxis of the Philippines have grown in capacity to the size of
minibus
A minibus, microbus, or minicoach is a passenger-carrying motor vehicle that is designed to carry more people than a multi-purpose vehicle or minivan, but fewer people than a full-size bus. In the United Kingdom, the word "minibus" is us ...
es and are still being built by small scale manufacturers, although are facing calls for their reduction in number and competition with regular public transport.
Pakistan
Pakistan, officially the Islamic Republic of Pakistan, is a country in South Asia. It is the List of countries and dependencies by population, fifth-most populous country, with a population of over 241.5 million, having the Islam by country# ...
has a long tradition of
highly customising buses (and
truck
A truck or lorry is a motor vehicle designed to transport freight, carry specialized payloads, or perform other utilitarian work. Trucks vary greatly in size, power, and configuration, but the vast majority feature body-on-frame construct ...
s).
El Salvador
El Salvador, officially the Republic of El Salvador, is a country in Central America. It is bordered on the northeast by Honduras, on the northwest by Guatemala, and on the south by the Pacific Ocean. El Salvador's capital and largest city is S ...
has a history of
highly customized buses used for public transport. These are typically owned by the gangs, and thus are not operated by a government agency.
Other types of customised buses
Advert buses,
party buses,
sleeper buses and
tour bus
A tour bus service is an escorted tour (sometimes a package holiday) or bus service that takes visitors sightseeing, with routes around tourist attractions.
Information
Double-decker buses and open top buses are commonly used, for provid ...
es are all types of buses that may feature a degree of decorative customisation as part of their primary function, and not just for personalisation.
See also
*
Jingle truck – U.S. army slang for decorated trucks in Asia
*
Dekotora – Japanese decorated trucks
*
Tap-Tap – Haitian decorated buses
*
Jeepney – Philippine decorated buses
*
Chicken bus – Central American decorated buses
*
Chiva bus – Colombian decorated buses
*
Fileteado – Argentine and Uruguayan decorative style widely employed on buses
*
Diablos Rojos – Panamanian decorated buses (Spanish-language article)
*
Skoolies –
school bus
A school bus is any type of bus owned, leased, contracted to, or operated by a school or school district. It is regularly used to Student transport, transport students to and from school or school-related activities, but not including a charter ...
es converted into
recreational vehicles
References
External links
{{commons category, Customised buses
Art vehicles
Buses by type
Decorated vehicles