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In British English and Australian English, the term 'coach' is used to refer to a large motor vehicle for conveying passengers. It is a type of bus but is usually more comfortable and designed for longer-distance travel or touring.
The term ''coach'' appears in the formal names of many such firms in the US, though most people still call them ''bus lines.''
The original meaning of the term 'coach' was that of a horse-drawn vehicle designed for the conveyance of more than one passenger and of mail, that is covered for protection from the elements. The small Hungarian town of Kocs (pronounced "kotch") was the place of manufacture, from the 15th century onwards, of an exceptionally well designed example of such a vehicle with durable and comfortable suspension and steering. Therefore the English word - coach, the Spanish and Portuguese - coche, and the German - Kutsche etc. all derive from the Hungarian word "kocsi", literally meaning "of Kocs".
There are two categories of motor coach: long distance inter-city coach service, and urban-suburban bus line.

Contents

Intercity coach service

Urban-suburban bus line

Examples

Motorcoaches

Long distance coach line

North America

Europe

Australasia

Urban-suburban bus line

Popular manufacturers

Gallery

See also

External links

Intercity coach service

'Intercity coach services' compete with other means of long-distance travel, such as trains, planes, and automobiles. Thus, to make the trip comfortable, these coaches often have reclinable upholstered seats, a toilet, and air-conditioning. Many other components are similar to an airliner, with storage bins for carry-on luggage, small tables for small snacks, small televisions to show TV shows and/or videos, and passenger-controlled lights above each seat. Luggage is stored below the floor, and is accessible from outside panels. Because they are designed for long distance travel (instead of having to take on and discharge many passengers for very short runs), it is rare for a motor coach to have more than one door (save for a wheelchair-lift access) or standing room; especially on inter-city services.
This version of coach is also the common vehicle among charter services, touring industries, and private ownership. Prices for travelling by coach are usually cheaper than other modes of long distance transportation.

Urban-suburban bus line

'Urban-suburban bus line' is generally categorized as public transit, especially for large metropolitan transit networks. Usually these routes cover a relatively long distance compared to most transit bus routes, but still short — usually 40 miles in one direction. An urban-suburban bus line generally connects a suburban area to the downtown core.
The bus can be something as simple as a merely refitted school bus (which sometimes already contains overhead storage racks), or a standard transit bus modified to have some of the functionality of an interstate coach. The example shown here has the same dimensions as a standard transit bus, but with only one door and air conditioning. It provides accommodation for the disabled (through a lift at the front), and thus has a few high-back seats, usually in the front, that can be folded up for wheelchairs. The rest of the seats are reclining upholstered seats and have individual lights and overhead storage bins. Because it is a commuter bus, it has some (but not much) standing room, stop-request devices, and a farebox. This model also has a bike rack at the front to accommodate two bicycles. Some lines use a full-size interstate coach with on board toilet, such as the "TrainBus" service of West Coast Express
In terms of services, buses may run less frequently, and service fewer stops. One common arrangement is to have a few stops at the beginning of the trip, and a few near the end, since the majority of the trip is spent on a highway. Some stops may have service restrictions, such as ones that are boarding only and others which are discharge only. Some routes may only have scheduled trips in the morning, heading to the urban core, with other trips in the evening, heading toward suburbs only. They may also be used to supplement another service, as in West Coast Express' TrainBus, which runs when the commuter train is not in service.

Examples

Motorcoaches

★ Scenicruiser

★ Pegaso Z-403

Long distance coach line

North America

★ Gray Coach and Gray Line Worldwide

★ Greyhound Lines and Greyhound Lines of Canada

★ Laidlaw

★ Stagecoach Group

★
★ Coach USA and Coach Canada

★ Trailways Transportation System

★ Chinatown bus lines

★
★ Fung Wah Bus Transportation Inc.

★ Acadiɐn Lines

★ Pacific Western Transportation

Europe

★ ALSA Spanish domestic and international coach operator

★ Bus Éireann Irish inter-city coach services

★ Eurolines European inter-city services

★ National Express UK Inter-city coach services

★ Scottish Citylink Scottish Inter-city Operator

★ Swebus Express Swedish Inter-city coach services

Australasia

★ Greyhound Australia

Urban-suburban bus line

★ TransLink, Greater Vancouver, Canada

★ Laidlaw

★ Virginia Overland Transportation

★ Sydney Coach Terminal Sydney Australia

★ Sydney Explorer sightseeing bus

Popular manufacturers

★ Alexander Dennis

★ Ayats

★ Bova

★ Irizar

★ Jonckheere

★ Mercedes-Benz

★ NEOMAN Bus

★ Plaxton

★ Scania AB

★ Setra

★ Van Hool

★ Volvo Buses

★ VDL Berkhof Valkenswaard

★ Iron Industries LLC

Gallery

'European Coaches'

'North American Coaches'

'Specialist Coaches'

See also

★ Basterna, ancient predecessor to the modern stagecoach

★ Carriage

★ Coach (rail)

★ Motorcoach

★ Pininfarina

★ Stagecoach

★ Sleeper bus

External links

★ UK Bus Operator databases, PCV Trainer database and UK Bus Driving Jobs database

★ The Kings Ferry

★ National Express

★ Blog about the recruitment process, driver training, and general life as a bus driver

★ Busway programs in the Netherlands, bi-articulated bus

★ "A word for all: the odd history of "omnibus""

★ Buses in Europe

★ Bus type definitions

★ Barraclou.com - Bus

★ Bus Bus Bus PhotoBlog

★ Swiss PostBus

★ Hispano coach bodies.