Understanding The Logic Of Bus Routing By Last Names

Buses have been an integral part of society for centuries, with the first bus service introduced in Paris in 1662 by French polymath Blaise Pascal. Buses have since become a staple of modern transportation, offering a reasonably priced alternative to other travel methods. They are commonly used for public transport, charter purposes, or private ownership. The average bus can carry between 30 to 100 passengers, with some accommodating up to 300 people.

While buses are typically associated with commuting, they have also gained popularity in popular culture, with notable appearances in music, film, and literature. Additionally, buses have played a significant role in historical events, such as the civil rights movement in the 1950s and 1960s, where Rosa Parks' refusal to give up her seat sparked the Montgomery bus boycott.

Beyond their functional purpose, buses have become a creative canvas for names and artwork. For instance, Brighton & Hove Buses have named their buses after notable deceased individuals with connections to the area. School buses have also received names like Buttercup and Delores. Personalised names and artwork give buses a unique identity, reflecting the creativity and interests of their owners or operators.

Brighton & Hove Buses' naming criteria

Brighton & Hove Buses Naming Criteria

Since 1999, Brighton & Hove Buses have been naming their buses after notable deceased people with a connection to the area. The idea was conceived by the company's Operations Director, Paul Williams, as the first double-deck low-floor buses were due to be delivered. The original suggestion was to name the buses after notable landmarks, but this was changed to notable people from local history to avoid confusing passengers into thinking the bus would travel to the landmark.

The main criterion for inclusion is that the deceased person made a significant contribution to the area or had a strong connection during their lifetime. Another criterion is that the person has been deceased for at least a year. Suggestions are regularly submitted, often with helpful biographical details and photographs, and are kept on file for consideration each time new buses are delivered.

On the delivery of the new Coaster buses, a Facebook vote was held to name 12 of them, with other names being selected for reuse. This generated a lot of interest, and the company hopes to repeat the process for the next batch of new buses.

Money has also been raised for local charities by auctioning off a bus name to appear for a short period of time. Special names have also been carried to honour the league-winning Albion teams, HM The Queen and Prince Philip in their Golden Jubilee year, and a few other special people.

School bus names

Naming school buses is a popular practice, with some bus owners painting the name on the side or vinyl windows, while others simply give the bus a name without displaying it. There are a few ways to go about naming a school bus. One approach is to choose a name that reflects the bus's appearance or characteristics, such as its colour or unique features. For example, a white bus could be named "Rocky" or a brown or tan bus could be named "Pandora". Another idea is to draw inspiration from pop culture, such as naming the bus after a famous person, cartoon character, movie, or TV show. For instance, "Lady Bus Bus" (inspired by Lady Gaga), "Bussy the Vampire Slayer", or "School of Rock". A third option is to opt for a more light-hearted or humorous name, like "On a Road to Nowhere", "Have Love Will Travel", or "Skoolie Doo". Alternatively, some bus owners choose to hold a contest or vote to select a name, as was done by Brighton & Hove Buses, who named their buses after notable deceased people with connections to the area.

Famous buses in pop culture

Buses have become iconic symbols in pop culture, often serving as more than just a mode of transportation. Here are some of the most famous buses in popular culture:

The Partridge Family Bus

The Partridge Family Bus is one of the most iconic buses in pop culture history. This 1957 Chevy bus transported the fashionable and musical Partridge family across the USA. The bus stood out with its unique Mondrian-inspired paint job, featuring bright blues, yellows, and reds in differently-sized blocks. It became an iconic novelty of the 70s and is fondly remembered by fans of the show.

Willie Nelson's Tour Bus

Willie Nelson's tour bus, affectionately named "Biowillie," runs on biodiesel fuel made from soybeans and vegetable oils. This eco-friendly bus takes Willie and his crew on their travels, with the potential for a solar-powered future.

The Magic School Bus

The Magic School Bus is an educational and beloved children's series from the 1980s and 90s. Ms. Frizzle, a zany but brilliant teacher, takes her students on extraordinary adventures in a bright yellow, blinky-eyed bus that can transform into anything from a rocket ship to an underwater fish. The series inspired a reboot, "The Magic School Bus Rides Again," available on Netflix.

Ken Kesey's Bus

Novelist Ken Kesey, along with his Merry Pranksters, travelled across the USA in a red single-decker bus named "Further." The bus, already 25 years old at the start of the journey, featured psychedelic paintwork that attracted both fellow hippies and law enforcement officials. Their LSD-fuelled adventures have been documented in books and films, including "The Electric Kool-Aid Acid Test" and "Magic Trip."

The Bus from Speed

The 1994 action film "Speed" featured a classic-styled bus that played a pivotal role in the movie. In the film, Keanu Reeves must keep the bus speeding above 50 mph to prevent it from exploding, creating a thrilling and memorable scene for action movie lovers.

Into the Wild Bus

In 1992, Christopher McCandless ventured into the Alaskan wilderness in search of solitude. Nicknamed Alexander Supertramp, he hiked with minimal food and equipment. His remains were found in an abandoned bus, and his tragic story was published in the book "Into the Wild" and later adapted into a film. The bus still attracts huge crowds each year as a place of remembrance.

These famous buses have become iconic symbols, inspiring fans, sparking adventures, and changing the course of history. They showcase the unique and memorable role that buses can play in popular culture.

Civil rights buses

The Montgomery Bus Boycott was a civil rights protest during which African Americans refused to ride city buses in Montgomery, Alabama, to protest segregated seating. The boycott took place from December 5, 1955, to December 20, 1956, and is regarded as the first large-scale U.S. demonstration against segregation. Four days before the boycott began, on December 1, 1955, Rosa Parks, an African American woman, was arrested and fined for refusing to give up her seat to a white man and move to the back of the bus. Parks' arrest sparked the 13-month mass protest that ended with the U.S. Supreme Court ruling that segregation on public buses is unconstitutional. The boycott was coordinated by the Montgomery Improvement Association (MIA), and its president, Martin Luther King, Jr., became a prominent civil rights leader as international attention focused on Montgomery.

The roots of the bus boycott began years before Parks' arrest. The Women's Political Council (WPC), a group of black professionals founded in 1946, had already turned their attention to Jim Crow practices on the Montgomery city buses. In a meeting with Mayor W. A. Gayle in March 1954, the council's members outlined the changes they sought for Montgomery’s bus system: no one standing over empty seats; a decree that black individuals not be made to pay at the front of the bus and enter from the rear; and a policy that would require buses to stop at every corner in black residential areas, as they did in white communities. When the meeting failed to produce any meaningful change, WPC president Jo Ann Robinson reiterated the council’s requests in a letter to Mayor Gayle, telling him, “There has been talk from twenty-five or more local organizations of planning a city-wide boycott of buses.”

In the years leading up to the boycott, there were several other incidents of black women being arrested for challenging segregation on Montgomery buses, including Claudette Colvin and Mary Louise Smith. However, it was Parks' arrest that mobilized Montgomery’s black community into action. The night of Parks' arrest, the WPC, led by Jo Ann Robinson, printed and circulated a flyer throughout Montgomery's black community, calling for a one-day protest of the city’s buses on December 5, 1955. The next morning, there was a meeting led by the new MIA head, King, where a group of 16 to 18 people gathered to discuss boycott strategies. A citywide boycott of public transit was proposed, with three demands: 1) courteous treatment by bus operators, 2) passengers seated on a first-come, first-served basis, with black people seated in the back half and white people seated in the front half, and 3) black people would be employed as bus operators on routes predominantly taken by black people.

The boycott proved extremely effective, with enough riders lost to the city transit system to cause serious economic distress. Instead of riding buses, boycotters organized a system of carpools, with car owners volunteering their vehicles or themselves driving people to various destinations. Black taxi drivers also supported the boycott by charging ten cents per ride, equal to the cost of riding the bus. In response to the boycott, opposing whites swelled the ranks of the White Citizens' Council, which often resorted to violence. King's and Abernathy's houses, as well as four black Baptist churches, were firebombed. Despite this violence and efforts by city officials and white citizens to defeat the boycott, Montgomery’s black residents stayed off the buses through 1956.

On June 5, 1956, a Montgomery federal court ruled that any law requiring racially segregated seating on buses violated the 14th Amendment to the U.S. Constitution. The city appealed to the U.S. Supreme Court, which upheld the lower court’s decision on December 20, 1956. Montgomery’s buses were integrated on December 21, 1956, and the boycott officially ended after 381 days. The Montgomery Bus Boycott is widely regarded as a foundational event in the civil rights movement in the United States, setting the stage for additional large-scale actions to bring about fair treatment for African Americans.

Campaign buses

A campaign bus is a bus used as a vehicle and a centre of operations during a political campaign. They are used to support a candidate, a political party, or a political cause. Campaign buses are used by candidates to travel around the voting area to give speeches and attract support. They are also used to transport members of the press covering a candidate's campaign.

The use of campaign buses dates back to at least the 1940s, when they provided a cheap and easy means for candidates to travel from one speech or event to the next. Today, campaign buses are often luxurious and filled with top-of-the-line technology and furnishings. They can also be used to promote a brand or product, appearing at large public events or touring busy streets.

In the UK, campaign buses are known as "battle buses". They were first seen in the late 1970s and have been used by many political parties since. For example, in the 2015 general election, Harriet Harman's Woman to Woman campaign featured a bright pink battle bus.

Some campaign buses are named, such as John McCain's "Straight Talk Express", which he travelled on during his 2000 presidential campaign, and again in 2008.

Frequently asked questions