Public transportation has been around for almost as long as the motor vehicle has been traversing the earth. Different forms of public transportation are the subway, trolley cars, planes, taxi cabs and the bus. The bus is one of the most popular forms of public transportation and continues to grow in popularity. There are all kinds of different uses for buses. They range from school buses to public buses to tour buses to coach buses. School buses are some of the most recognizable vehicles on the roads today. They are bright yellow and are equipped with red and yellow flashing lights to warn other motorists of children exiting the vehicle into the roadway.

Tour buses are used to show tourists around major cities such as New York, NY; Philadelphia, PA; Los Angeles, CA and even London. London is known for their double-decker buses. Double-decker buses have made their way into the United States culture as well. They are popular in the cities mentioned above for city tours. The ones in Philadelphia take tourists to the Art Museum, Old City, Betsy Ross' House, the Constitution Center and Independence Mall.

Coach buses are used for long term trips across country or for athletic teams to get from one school to the other in college and the airport to the stadium or team hotel in the pros. Coach buses usually have TVs in them, with a bathroom and excellent seating. Coach buses are usually decorated with decals and paint to match the pro team's colors or the college team's colors and logo. Colleges and Universities nationwide are most known for employing coach buses in their fleet of transportation vehicles.

Public transit buses are one of the most common forms of buses on the roads today. They probably rank right up on the list with school buses. Public transit buses are used by cities to transport civilians to and from work, school and their home. People use public transit buses to get to and from the ballgame, to and from the movies and to and from a concert. The buses in Philadelphia are run by SEPTA, the Southeastern Pennsylvania Transportation Authority, and are red, white and blue in color.

One other type of buses in operation today is called trams or tramcars. Trams are used to shuttle people back and forth in a large parking lot, such as an airport or a theme park. Trams are a bit smaller than normal buses but serve the same purpose; to move people from one point to another.

The word bus is derived from the word omnibus. Omnibus means 'for all.' That's why buses are for everyone to use. From students, to workers, to tourists; buses help people get to and from their destination each and every day. The very first version of buses was used in 1862 by the French. The bus was pulled by horses to and from each stop. Those buses were large versions of a horse and buggy that could hold more than five people.