The Bus is a public transport vehicle featured in almost every Grand Theft Auto title. It is manufactured by Brute in Grand Theft Auto IV.
Design[]
The Bus is depicted as a large, squared vehicle with enough room for multiple passengers, and is normally associated with public transport for each city it appears. Despite the Grand Theft Auto games being set in large, bustling urban environments with a major public transport infrastructure, the Bus is one of the series' rarest vehicles, although they were later very common in Grand Theft Auto V.
All buses only allow one person to board and alight at a time.
2D Universe[]
In the first Grand Theft Auto, the Bus is based on a 1979-1989 International Harvester S-Series. The Bus may appear with three different schemes, which the latter two are not spawned in traffic:
- In Liberty City, it spawns in a traditional "School Bus" scheme, with a yellow color and "SCHOOL" letters on the roof. A hatch can be seen as well.
- In San Andreas, it spawns in a green/red color, with "JESUS" letters and a holy cross emblem.
- In Vice City, it spawns in a brighter yellow color with a shield emblem on top, being either a high school bus or a bus for some kind of sports team.
In Grand Theft Auto 2, the Bus resembles an "old look"-style transit bus (quite similar to the GM Scenicruiser) and can be found picking up/dropping off passengers at various bus stops within each of the three districts. The Bus only drives on the outer lane of the 'main' roads and is set to spawn in white with brown roof stripe and sides.
Even if the player steals the Bus, passengers will still enter/exit if the player stops at a bus stop. There are 2 missions revolving around transporting passengers. The Bus is absent from the PlayStation version.
3D Universe[]
In Grand Theft Auto III, Grand Theft Auto: Vice City, and Grand Theft Auto: Liberty City Stories the Bus retains the "school bus" design featured in the first GTA (and in the early development of GTA III), featuring a very generic design and taking styling from a wide range of decades. The shape of the hood resembles a 1980s International Harvester S-Series; its slanted side windows may be inspired by the old GM New Look Bus or Flxible New Look bus; the rear is rounded similar to most '40s and '50s bus designs.
The Bus is depicted with inward-gliding doors on either side (an unusual layout for a commercial transport vehicle), and may spawn with a variety of colors with a permanent grey secondary color (the portion around the windows is always a darker shade of yellow).
In Grand Theft Auto: San Andreas, the bus takes on a different appearance, strongly resembling an MCI MC-8. It is depicted with almost the same size and profile as the Coach, but distinguished by the circular headlamps, simplistic window layout and square rear lights. The vehicle is always set to spawn in a grey body and white rear portion; the actual color combinations are the stripes running from the roof and towards the rear, where the upper stripe receives the primary color and the lower stripe the secondary. Like the Coach, it can carry the driver and seven passengers. Buses in GTA San Andreas are operated by Canny Bus Group.
Grand Theft Auto IV[]
The vehicle's front bumper, front tow hooks, headlight and front indicator setup, doors, roof ventilation, and side trims resemble those found on the Orion V and VI buses utilized by the MTA. The grille location and style is similar to that of 1986 Flxible Metro buses. The rear louvre-style vents above the engine bay resemble those found on the 1982 GMD Classic and 2006 Millennium Transit Services RTS buses buses also utilized by the MTA during the 1990s. The use of slanted windows along the sides of the bus is homogeneous to the popular GM New Look "Fishbowl" series of buses, popular in the US between the early 1960s and mid 1990s. Its default green/grey color scheme is also similar to that used on the New York Transit Authority New Look buses during the 1960s[1]; the primary color influencing the bulk of the vehicle, while the secondary color is applied as mid and lower stripes running the entire length of the bus.
The Bus is depicted as a long, modern-looking city bus with an extended roof, which fall under the management of Liberty City Transport Authority (LTA), and are further stamped with "The Fox" labels, in line with the LTA's association of the Liberty City's tramway with another animal ("The Pigeon").
A destination board can be seen above the windshield, which reads "B84 Liberty City" permanently. A smaller destination on the rear is also present, bus is permanently blank. The bus also lacks a rear license plate. Side-mounted advertising boards for America's Next Top Hooker and Anna Rex, or ZiT and 72 may spawn. LTA and LCTD markings are present on all sides of the vehicle, including their tagline "Here, There, Everywhere", present on the front and the roof. The vehicle's nickname, "The Fox", is marked on the rear quarter panels. A "How's my driving" label is also present on the rear engine cover, with a number (555-555-555) and text service (LCTD-BUS) present. The vehicle's manufacturer, Brute, is badged on the rear, alongside markings for its supercharged 5000cc diesel engine.
Despite the Bus featuring 13 physical seats, only 4 passengers can ride the bus.
Grand Theft Auto Chinatown Wars[]
In Grand Theft Auto: Chinatown Wars, the Bus bears some similarities in details with the GTA IV version, albeit with a red and white livery.
Grand Theft Auto V and Online[]
In Grand Theft Auto V and Grand Theft Auto Online, the Bus resembles two NABI buses: the 40-LFW and the CompoBus. The back is based on a GMC RTS and the front is loosely similar to the New Flyer DE40LFR or a Orion VII NG.
The vehicle retains the general shape from GTA IV, but with an even longer body and wheelbase, as well as a smaller roof extension. The buses fall under the management of Los Santos Transit.
In terms of detailing, the front of the vehicle is even more predominated by the windshield, while the front bumper is slightly larger. A set of circular headlights and turn signals can be seen on the outer edges, along with a destination board above the windshield set to "DOWNTOWN".
The sides are mostly generic, featuring black trims around the windows and the front outward-gliding door (aling with the unused "exit" door, which lacks glass panes on the lower sides). It no longer features ad textures on the middle section, leaving only the company's markings.
The rear of the vehicle is mostly identical, with the exception of the upper side (which is fully occupied by a rear vent) and the tail lights (being a set of rectangle tail lights with reverse lights and license plate). A rear compartment is also visible, leading to the engine bay.
The interior is very detailed, modelled with 16 pairs of seats, as well as the driver's one, but can only carry 16 players.
The Bus is set to spawn in a white color on the lower side and 4 different colors, reflecting Los Angeles Metro buses:
- Red and white color, resembling Los Angeles Metro Rapid buses.
- Orange and white color, resembling Los Angeles Metro Local buses.
- Blue and white color, resembling Los Angeles Metro Express buses for Premium Routes.
- A rare teal and white color scheme, possibly resembling the Culver CityBus.
In the enhanced version of the game, the Bus gains a new, high-detailed interior. It also sees the addition of side marker lights along the roofline, not present in the original version, but did appear on the Airport Bus. The enhanced version also sees the additional horn variations of varying pitch. The horn choice is randomized when the vehicle is spawned.
Current Design Gallery[]
Version History Gallery[]
Performance[]
2D Universe[]
3D Universe[]
The handling of the bus is slow and cumbersome, as one would expect, and the vehicle, although fairly tough, cannot readily knock other vehicles aside in the manner of the Fire Truck, Barracks OL or the Flatbed. The Bus in GTA San Andreas is an exception because in this case the handling of the bus is better than similar vehicles of its size. Most renditions emit the sound of a low-revving four-stroke diesel engine; however, the GTA San Andreas Bus has the sound of a high-revving two-stroke diesel.
It is also more vulnerable to bullet damage than most vehicles of its size.
3D Universe Overview[]
Acceleration (0-60 mph in Seconds) |
Top Speed (mph / kmh) |
Gears | Engine | Drivetrain (FWD / RWD / AWD) |
Mass (kg / lbs) |
---|---|---|---|---|---|
N/A | 81 / 130 | 4 | Diesel | RWD | 5500 / 12125 |
N/A | N/A | 4 | N/A | RWD | Cannot be observed |
Grand Theft Auto IV[]
For Grand Theft Auto IV, handling is below average, with the Bus easily under-steering around corners. Top speed is however somewhat excellent thanks in part to its 5000cc, twin-cam 4 cylinder engine, according to the badging and the engine model (respectively), but is let down by poor acceleration which is one of the worst in the game. The Bus has a soft suspension tune making the bus somewhat comfortable, especially at low speeds. The Bus is let down again by its poor brakes which tend to lock up easily, and when they do, stopping distance is increased, giving the Bus a poor stopping power. These disadvantages make it a horrible choice when attempting to take corners while braking, as it will also lead to lose control.
Due to its rear-engined configuration, the Bus can survive seemingly endless head-on crashes with cars, trucks, and buildings alike. This makes it the perfect vehicle for ramming cars out of one's path. Like previous renditions of the Bus, however, it is particularly vulnerable to gunfire, especially at the rear section, where the engine is located.
GTA IV Overview[]
Acceleration (0-60 mph in Seconds) |
Top Speed (mph / kmh) |
Gears | Engines | Drivetrain (FWD / RWD / AWD) |
Mass (kg / lbs) |
---|---|---|---|---|---|
N/A | 81 / 130 | 6 | N/A | RWD | 7500 / 16535 |
N/A | N/A | N/A | 5000cc (5.0L) Supercharged (Badging) | N/A | N/A |
N/A | N/A | 6 | Turbocharged DOHC Inline-4 (In-game model) | RWD | Cannot be observed |
Grand Theft Auto: Chinatown Wars[]
Performance of the Bus in Grand Theft Auto: Chinatown Wars is no different, with the Bus capable of only low top speeds, average acceleration, very wide turning radius' and poor brakes, making the Bus impractical for demanding uses. One will get busted very easily if on a Bus, due to its slow acceleration.
Grand Theft Auto V and Online[]
Returning in Grand Theft Auto V and Grand Theft Auto Online, the bus shares its durability and power as it was in GTA IV. However, the Bus now accelerates much better than the original. Its top speed is pretty average, being able to cope with a mildly low top speed and still crash into cars holding the same speed. Braking is average, but can still be faulty, causing crashes into the rear of vehicles after performing high speeds due to its large size. Overall, the bus is a good pick for durability, but not so good for a getaway vehicle, nor is it good for defence of the player, due its large window, exposing the player to major gunfire. The player can also stand on top of a moving Bus without the risk of falling off.[2]
The vehicle is powered by a twin-cam 4-cylinder engine with a modelled turbocharger, coupled to a 4-speed gearbox. Unusual for a bus, it is set with an all-wheel-drive layout, but the low power and revs make the front wheels unable to pull the heavy weight of the vehicle on steep inclines. Instead, this characteristic is more intended to provide better throttle and steering responses, ideal traits to navigate through the busy city streets.
GTA V and Online Overview[]
Acceleration (0-60 mph in Seconds) |
Top Speed (mph / kmh) |
Gears | Engine | Drivetrain (FWD / RWD / AWD) |
Mass (kg / lbs) |
Fuel Tank Size (litres) |
---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
N/A | 62 / 100 | 4 | N/A | AWD 50% FWD 50% RWD |
9000 / 19842 | 120 |
N/A | N/A | N/A | N/A | N/A | N/A | N/A |
14.6 Seconds | 70 / 112 | 4 | Turbocharged DOHC Inline-4 (In-game model) | AWD | Cannot be observed | Cannot be observed |
Rockstar Games Social Club[]
Grand Theft Auto V and Online[]
Gallery[]
2D Universe[]
3D Universe[]
HD Universe[]
Variants[]
Airport BusGrand Theft Auto V |
(Rear quarter view) |
The Airport Bus is, as the name suggests, an airport bus intended to shuttle passengers to and from the airport. The bus can appear in two liveries serving as two shuttle companies. All buses are destined to the Los Santos International Airport. |
Prominent Appearances in Missions[]
Grand Theft Auto III[]
- Import/Export - The Bus is one of the 23 vehicles wanted for the Portland Island portion of the Import/Export side mission.
Grand Theft Auto V[]
- I Fought the Law... - The player has to drive between two Buses as a Gold Medal Objective.
- The Bus Assassination - Franklin Clinton has to drive a Bus route in order to assassinate Isaac Penny.
Locations[]
Grand Theft Auto[]
- It can be found in all of the three cities. The Liberty City and the San Andreas versions of the Bus do not appear in any missions, though the latter one serves as a Kill Frenzy vehicle – there are two of it in each chapter in San Andreas. The Vice City version of the Bus is featured in mission Rasta Blasta - Phone 11, it is transporting a Babylon agent to a safehouse, who has killed Brother Aerol; the player has to hijack the Bus, and take it to the docks, where members of the Rastas gang will destroy it, killing the agent.
Grand Theft Auto 2[]
Grand Theft Auto III[]
- Chinatown, Portland.
- Aspatria, Staunton Island.
- The Bus also appears during the Firefighter side mission in GTA III on Portland Island.
Grand Theft Auto: Vice City[]
- Parked around in Viceport near a sea plane hangar.
- Can sometimes be seen driving around in Viceport.
- Can rarely be seen driving near the airport.
- Rarely seen driving near the military base.
Grand Theft Auto: San Andreas[]
- Ocean Docks, Los Santos.
- Can be seen driving around in early morning (around 5 am to 8 am) at Los Santos International Airport.
- Very rarely seen around the Easter Bay Airport. (around 5:30 am to 6:30 am)
- Very rarely seen on the highway leading to Pilson Intersection east of Verdant Meadows.
- Rarely seen around Garver Bridge in the morning.
- Sometimes appears under the tunnel at Los Santos International Airport on Tuesday at 12.00 am.
- Near the eastern most beach in Los Santos.
- Rarely seen on the Julius Thruway.
Grand Theft Auto: Liberty City Stories[]
- The bus does not appear under any normal circumstances, and, as a result, can only be spawned using third party cheat devices.
Grand Theft Auto IV[]
- At the Broker Bus Depot in Downtown Broker, under the Algonquin-Dukes Expressway.
- Several parked in Star Junction, Algonquin, Liberty City.
- Along the Bus Lane adjacent to the Higgins Helitours in Fishmarket South, Algonquin. Also, one is parked along Privateer Road, and many can be seen parked along Flatfish Place.
- Occasionally appears being driven inside the Francis International Airport.
Grand Theft Auto: Chinatown Wars[]
- Only found at the aforementioned Broker Bus Depot, Downtown Broker.
Grand Theft Auto V[]
- Can be found driving around the majority of Los Santos and Los Santos County. While Buses cannot be seen outside of the city, should the player follow a Bus on a major highway such as the Olympic Freeway, they may encounter more Buses spawning.
- Up to 7 can be found parked at the Dashound Bus Center in Textile City.[3]
Grand Theft Auto Online[]
- Can be purchased in Warstock Cache & Carry, for $500,000.
Radio Stations[]
- In Grand Theft Auto: San Andreas, the Bus plays Master Sounds 98.3.
- In Grand Theft Auto IV, the default radio stations are grouped by genre. The Bus uses the "Jazz" group which can play:
- In Grand Theft Auto: Episodes from Liberty City, the default radio stations are grouped by genre. The Bus uses the "Ambient" group which plays Self-Actualization FM.
- In Grand Theft Auto IV: The Complete Edition, the default radio stations are grouped by genre. The Bus uses the "Jazz" group which can play:
- In Grand Theft Auto: Chinatown Wars, the Bus plays Truth & Soul (Nintendo DS and iOS versions).
- In Grand Theft Auto: Chinatown Wars, the Bus plays Turntables on the Hudson (PSP only).
- In Grand Theft Auto: Chinatown Wars, the Bus plays Anvil (Android only).
Trivia[]
Grand Theft Auto 2[]
- In the PS1 version of Grand Theft Auto 2, the bus is not spawnable, but it is possible to be found in the game files. There is a cheat called "FARE", but that one is undriveable.
Grand Theft Auto IV[]
- A label on the rear of the Bus comically reads that "this bus uses no technology", parodying labels on New York City buses that read "this bus uses clean-air technology".
- There is actually a "Bus Driver" character model in the GTA IV game files.[4] This suggests that buses were going to be used as a way of transportation around the city, but this feature was later cut from the final game for unknown reasons. If the player fails Bleed Out by destroying Roman's cab, the failure cutscene will show Niko and Roman getting off the bus at the stop across the street from Roman's cab depot, therefore, the buses are usable in some measure.
- It is not possible to bail out of a moving Bus as the driver in GTA IV, as hitting the exit vehicle button will apply the brakes first.
- In GTA IV, if more than one person enters the Bus as a passenger, strangely one of the back doors will open. This also happens when crashing and, rarely, one can see both doors missing.
- Also, once a passenger enters the bus and takes a seat, the NPC will use the closing door animation at the same time the front doors will close as if it was a basic car door. This is probably an oversight.
- The Bus can enter Pay 'n' Spray in GTA IV, unlike any previous GTA title. Due to the size of the Bus, it can only be resprayed at the Leftwood and Hove Beach Pay 'n' Spray locations.
- In the mission Bleed Out, if the player destroys Roman's cab, after the cutscene which shows Roman entering the depot, the player may find a Bus with four passengers stopped at the junction near the entrance to Broker Navy Yard.
- In GTA IV, there is a sign on the back of the Bus that says that safety is the LTA's number one concern and to call 555-783-9828 to tell them how their drivers are doing. If the player dials and calls the number, they will only get a no answer tone.
- A bus appears on LTA's bus stop signs on the display times. The bus on this sign appears in a white and blue colour scheme as oppose to its final green colour scheme, reflecting the current real-life MTA New York City bus colour scheme.[5]
Grand Theft Auto V[]
- During the mission Al Di Napoli, a unique gray color scheme version of the bus may sometimes appear when chasing Al Di Napoli into the parking lot.
- Buses can be seen pulling up to and away from bus stops at Rockford Hills and Pillbox Hill, and passengers are seen getting off the bus.
- Once a bus is hijacked, passengers will not attempt to exit the bus, preferring to cower in their seats.
Bugs/Glitches[]
Grand Theft Auto V and Online[]
- In the original versions of the game, it is possible to use the Sawed-Off Shotgun for drive-bys in a bus. This was fixed in the enhanced version.
- In the enhanced version of the game, although the dash warning lights still function, the dashboard texture is mapped incorrectly, resulting in the lights being cut off the top edge of the instrument panel.
- Should the player hijack an occupied Airport Bus and exit it again, the bus will spawn a new driver when the player is not looking directly at it, even if they are nowhere near the original driver. This also applies to the Airport Bus and Dashound.
Grand Theft Auto Online[]
- The image of the Bus on Warstock Cache and Carry in GTA Online is mirrored, with the doors on the left side instead of the right side. This is fixed in the enhanced version.
See Also[]
Other similar buses in the Grand Theft Auto series:
- Coach
- Dashound
- Tour Bus - Grand Theft Auto: London equivalent.
- Double Decker
- Karma Bus
- Prison Bus
- School Bus
- Airport Bus - Airport variant in Grand Theft Auto V and Grand Theft Auto Online.
References[]
- ↑ https://untappedcities.com/2013/10/04/nyc-transit-museum-2013-vintage-bus-festival/
- ↑ File data:
vehicles.meta: FLAG_PEDS_CAN_STAND_ON_TOP
- ↑ dt1_rd1_strm_4.ymap:
X:429.4579 Y:-637.897
- ↑ Busdriver
pc\models\cdimages\componentpeds.img\m_m_busdriver.wdd
- ↑