GTA Busses
GTA
Busses are a common sight in GTA 1 and can always be found on the wide main roads. Unfortunately, there are no special features to them, like pick up passengers or something.
They all have poor acceleration and poor handling, but they can reach pretty good top speeds if pushed on a long road. GTA 1 busses and coaches are all quite strong and can take a tremendous beating. You can crush several cop cars before your bus is wrecked, and this makes casual joyrides on busses a whole lot of fun.
There are two types to find - coaches and busses.
Coach
Speed: Moderate
Handling: Poor
Acceleration: Poor
Body Quality: Very tough
Possible Real-Life model:
MCI (Motor Coach Industries) 5C
Real-Life
image of a MCI 5C (thanx to busexplorer.com)
Note: Identifying a coach from a simple top-down view
isn't that easy, so I'm not too sure about the Coach being an MCI 5C. If you
got better ideas, please tell
me.
Where to find?
On the wide roads of Liberty City, San Andreas and
Vice City
Comments:
It's just some typical coach. Its performance is usual
for GTA 1 busses.
Bus
Speed: Moderate
Handling: Poor
Acceleration: Poor
Body Quality: Very tough
Possible Real-Life model:
Blue Bird / Ford Bus
Real-Life
image of a Blue Bird / Ford (thanx to busexplorer.com)
Where to find?
School Bus in Liberty City
Jesus Bus in San Andreas
Prison Bus in Vice City
Comments:
There are three versions of this bus, one for each
city: The Liberty City bus is an orange school bus, the 'Jesus' Bus of San
Andreas is a bright vehicle for hippies and Jesus freaks, and in Vice City,
there are prison busses driving around.
GTA: London 1969
As GTA: London 1969 is pretty much like GTA 1 on a new
map, there's not much else to say about the busses of GTA: London. Again, the
busses come in two variations, this time a London Double Decker and an open
tour bus.
Double Decker
Speed: Moderate
Handling: Poor
Acceleration: Poor
Body Quality: Very tough
Possible Real-Life model:
Routemaster Bus
Real-Life
image of a Routemaster (thanx to London Bus Page)
Where to find?
In the Streets of London
Comments:
Though this one performs just like any GTA 1 bus, it
has a certain charm that makes it fun to ride.
Tour Bus
Speed: Moderate
Handling: Poor
Acceleration: Poor
Body Quality: Very tough
Possible Real-Life model:
Routemaster Bus
Real-Life
image of a Routemaster (thanx to London Bus Page)
Where to find?
In the Streets of London
Comments:
It's the Double Decker with an open top. I prefer this
one for its style…
The people on the upper deck don't move, but they get
wasted if you crash the bus hard.
GTA 2 - Respect is
everything
GTA 2 has an interesting improvement concerning
busses: Bus stops. You can wait there for a bus and hijack it - you can even
use a bus to pick up people from bus stops, but unfortunately, GTA 2 has just
one regular type of bus.
Bus
Speed: Slow
Handling: Poor
Acceleration: Poor
Body Quality: Tough
Possible Real-Life model: N/A - GTA2 is
set in the future
Where to find?
Wait for it at bus stations; they are usually located
along a district's main road
Comments:
They only appear at bus stops, so this is your only
chance to hijack one. You can use it to pick up people from bus stations if you
want.
These busses are slower and easier to beat by the
police than the GTA 1 busses. But at least they are reasonably armoured and can
withstand a grenade or even a rocket launcher shot.
Karma Bus
Speed: Slow
Handling: Poor - Moderate
Acceleration: Poor
Body Quality: Moderate
Possible Real-Life model: N/A - GTA2 is
set in the future
Where to find?
Single player mode: In Krishna territory, in the
south-eastern part of the Industrial District
Multiplayer mode: Cruising the streets randomly like
any other car
Comments:
The Krishna use Karma busses as their gang cars, so
you'll have to deal with a gang member to steal one. You will have to enter
Krishna territory to get hold of a Karma Bus.
Only in Multiplayer games, Karma Busses can be found
in the streets of any district just like any other car.
The Karma bus isn't very tough for a bus, but it's
easier to handle. Keep in mind that it's no useful getaway car, as gang cars
can't be resprayed, and it's neither fast nor exceptionally tough. But I like
going for a rampage in a bus painted with flowers…
GTA III
Busses became rare in GTA III. And with no bus stops,
you're quite lucky to find a bus somewhere in Liberty City. Interestingly, you
can increase the chance of finding one if you're cruising the streets in
another huge vehicle, or if you're already in a bus.
GTA III busses handle and accelerate poor, but have
reasonable top speeds. Like in GTA 1, they can take quite some damage and it's
almost impossible to stop them on the run.
Unfortunately, they can't be re-sprayed in Respray
Shops, so a bus is no good choice for a getaway 'car'.
Just like in GTA 1, there are two variations again:
Coaches and Busses.
Coach
Speed: Moderate
Handling: Poor
Acceleration: Poor
Body Quality: Tough
Possible Real-Life model:
MCI (Motor Coach Industries) E Coach
Real-Life
image of a MCI E (thanx to busexplorer.com)
Where to find?
There's a parking space for coaches north of Atlantic
Quays, where you'll find two coaches. In the streets, they're very rare.
Comments:
Well, it's a coach, what else can you say? No
roadblock is too tough for this one… I'd like to see more coaches in Liberty
City, but the only reliable way to get one is to steal it from Atlantic Quays.
Bus
Speed: Moderate
Handling: Poor
Acceleration: Poor
Body Quality: Tough
Possible Real-Life model:
Wayne Lifeguard / International Bus
Real-Life
image of a Wayne / International (thanx to
busexplorer.com)
Note: The rear and the windows are different, but the
front seems to match the Wayne-International best. If you got a better idea,
please tell me.
Where to find?
No reliable way to get one. They're cruising around
Liberty City randomly, though driving another large vehicle will improve the
chance to find a bus.
Comments:
These busses are a bit smaller than the coaches and
slightly easier to handle.
A pity there are no bus stops in GTA III: No
possibilities to pick up passengers, and no reliable way to get hold of a bus.
If you see one, take your chance and steal it.
"Grand Theft Auto" ("GTA" for short) "GTA:
London 1969", "GTA2 - Respect is everything" and "GTA
III" are registered trademarks of Rockstar Games Ltd. No copyright
violation is intended.
"Blue Bird", "Ford", "Routemaster",
"Motor Coach Industries" (MCI) and "Wayne Lifeguard" are
registered trademarks. No copyright violation is intended.