When you hear the word “bus”, what’s the first thing that pops into your head? Maybe a yellow school bus or a city commuter bus? The buses in this article are not your average bus. Here are some big buses, very strange buses, and unusual trucks.
Bike Bus
Here’s a “bike bus” from India. Although the name of the public school might be Ideal, their buses aren’t. It looks like a rusty cage. Fasten your seatbelts, kids!
Classic New York City Street Buses
These classic European-made buses from around the turn of the century ruled the streets of New York City for decades until their massive subway system was up and running. If you look carefully on the right side of the photo, you might notice the arch from Washington Square Park.
NERD NOTE: In 1889, to celebrate the centennial of George Washington’s inauguration as President of the United States, a large plaster and wood Memorial Arch was erected over Fifth Avenue just north of Washington Square Park. The temporary plaster and wood arch was so popular that in 1892, a permanent marble arch was erected. The inscription on the arch reads: “Let us raise a standard to which the wise and the honest can repair. The event is in the hand of God. – Washington.”
The JL421 Badonkadonk Land Cruiser Tank
The JL421 Badonkadonk Land Cruiser (ba-donk-a-donk) is a custom-made tank that looks like it was modeled after Jabba the Hut’s Sail Barge from Star Wars: Return of the Jedi. Nicknamed the “Donk,” the JL421 Land Cruiser is actually a small bus transport that can hold a crew of 5 people internally and another 5 on the roof (or 20 Jawas). It can also be driven from within the armored shell or from an exposed standing position through the hatch. Is the Donk classified under strange buses, unusual trucks or is it just a tank? We can’t decide. You can read all about The Donk here.
Chinese Long Bus
Say hello to the world’s longest bus. This 5-compartment Chinese made bus costs over $300k and has a 380 person capacity. As you can imagine, it doesn’t handle turns very well and is limited to routes without sharp turns. I wonder where they park all of these big buses?
Train Bus
Can’t decide between road or rail? Why not both! The Bus Train is a dual-mode vehicle that has the versatility of a bus and the speed of light rail.
Cat Bus From My Neighbor Totoro
Spend a lot of time partying it up with topless chicks in the desert at the Burning Man Festival? Maybe you should build yourself a shaggy Cat Bus. This bus was inspired by the NekoBasu (aka Cat Bus) from the 1988 Japanese anime film “My Neighbor Totoro.”
Duck Boat Bus
This Boat Bus is actually a modified classic “Duck Boat.” Duck Boats are amphibious vehicles that were created during WWII to deliver soldiers to breakfronts. Many major waterfront cities like New York, Liverpool, London, and Boston offer Duck Boat tours that take place both on land and sea.
Drag Racing School Bus
Late for school? Maybe you should take the Drag Bus. Well, it’s not actually a bus. Just a shell on top of a dragster. As you can imagine, this bus is a huge hit with kids at Drag Races.
The Hookah Bus
Although it looks like a prop from the Mike Myers box office flop, The Love Guru, this is a real bus from Hua Hun, Thailand. Pass the hookah!
Mickey Mouse Bus
This retro-looking bus is actually “Disney Resort Cruiser” bus outside of Tokyo. Look carefully for the Disney mouse-shaped logo on both the back and right side of the bus.
Cat and Dog Buses
Check out these cute Japanese dog and cat buses. Meow!
Jet Bus
The King On Wheels “Jet Bus” has a Westinghouse JW-34 motor and a 17.000 PK jet engine. It’s probably a good idea not to tailgate this bus.
School Bus Bike
This stretched School Bike is so cool, it’s S’Cool… get it? It even features a retractable School Bus STOP sign to warn other vehicles of your departing passengers.
Sorry Bus
It’s hard to stay mad at a bad bus when it apologizes. This European bus displayed a “Sorry” status after crashing into a men’s clothing store.
Topsy – The Upside Down Bus
Topsy is a medium-size school bus with its twin flipped upside down on top of it. Topsy was created by Ben Cohen (co-founder of Ben and Jerry’s) to illustrate how topsy-turvy Cohen feels America’s federal budget priorities are, especially when it comes to education. It’s one of the more strange bises on this list.
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