Bus

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This article is about the buses that appear as obstacles throughout the Mario Kart series. For the vehicle from Super Mario RPG: Legend of the Seven Stars, see royal bus. For the Wiggler shaped vehicle which resembles a bus from Mario Kart: Double Dash!!, see Wiggler Wagon.
The Star Travel Bus from Mario Kart: Double Dash!!
A Star Travel bus from Mario Kart: Double Dash!!

In the Mario Kart series, buses (or tourist buses[1]) appear as obstacles in urban- or highway-themed courses. They typically travel at a constant speed along with the rest of the traffic. They always follow a set path; when traveling along a multi-lane road with other traffic, they will typically drive in the middle of their respective lanes and use turn signals if switching lanes, making their behavior very predictable. If the player hits a moving bus, they will usually flip over. They cannot be destroyed or removed, but they can usually be launched into the air by driving into them while using a Super Star, Bullet Bill, or Chain Chomp, or by hitting them with a Super Horn, Super Bell, Giga Bob-omb, Spiny Shell, or Bowser Shell. Moving buses may also honk their horns if they hit an item or the player.

History[edit]

Mario Kart 64[edit]

Moving buses first appear in Mario Kart 64, exclusive to Toad's Turnpike. The buses on this course are yellow with red window frames and blue interior curtains; the doors on the bus are on the left-hand side, as with real-life buses in countries that drive on the left side of the road like Japan. They are driven by Ukkikis.[2] In this game, they have the same engine sound as Donkey Kong's kart. If a player hits a bus, they will not lose their item. In this game only, buses will haphazardly drive between lanes and cannot be launched or otherwise moved by any means.

Mario Kart: Double Dash!![edit]

The Peach Beach bus and Star Travel bus from Mario Kart: Double Dash!!
A Peach Beach bus and Star Travel bus from Mario Kart: Double Dash!!

Buses also appear in Mario Kart: Double Dash!!, on Mushroom Bridge and Mushroom City. Both courses can feature two different designs on the buses, as well as a similar vehicle, the Wiggler Wagon. One of the buses is blue and features Star Travel logos on the back and sides, and also has the company's name on the front of the bus. The number plate features the letters "STR". The other bus is deep maroon and pale pink, includes Peach Beach logos in the place of the Star Travel ones, and its number plate instead reads "SUN". Unlike the previous game, the doors on the bus are on the right-hand side. If a bus is lifted into the air, it stops moving, whereas in future games, the bus continues to move even in the air. In this game only, if a player hits a bus, they will spin out and not lose their item.

In Mushroom Bridge, at the beginning of each race, a Star Travel bus (Peach Beach bus in Versus mode with no items) is seen driving past the racers on the left lane. This is not seen with any other actual vehicles (not counting Bob-omb Cars) in the game.

Mario Kart DS[edit]

Buses also appear in Mario Kart DS, on Shroom Ridge, and the returning retro course GCN Mushroom Bridge. The bus resembles a standard blue city bus with red and yellow zig-zags along the sides. The doors on the bus are on the left-hand side mainly because on Shroom Ridge traffic drives on the left. These new buses replace the old ones from the original Mushroom Bridge. Just like the cars and trucks, if a player hits them, they will lose their item. In Mushroom Bridge, at the beginning of every race, the bus is seen driving past the racers on the left lane.

Mario Kart 8 / Mario Kart 8 Deluxe[edit]

Model of a Toad City Sightseeing bus from Mario Kart 8
A Toad City Sightseeing bus from Mario Kart 8 and Mario Kart 8 Deluxe

Buses also appear on the retro tracks N64 Toad's Turnpike in Mario Kart 8 as well as DS Shroom Ridge and Tour Berlin Byways in Mario Kart 8 Deluxe. The buses on N64 Toad's Turnpike can display different sponsors at random, namely Galaxy Air, Boomerang Bros. International Airlines, Paratroopa Airlines, as well as a Toad City Sightseeing, a sponsor which only appears on these buses. Buses on the other aforementioned courses always display Galaxy Air designs. If a player hits a bus, they will not lose their item, and if they were not driving fast enough they will not flip out either. On N64 Toad's Turnpike only, some buses also include ramps on the roof which can be accessed after using a dash panel ramp truck. The buses in this game resemble coach buses rather than city buses in the previous game and they are based on a 2005 Hino S'elega Generation 2 Coach.

Additionally, the first stationary bus appears on Tour New York Minute. It uses a Toad City Sightseeing design and has a simple ramp on top. As with other stationary buses, it cannot be launched by any means and merely acts as a wall. Stationary AEC Routemaster double-decker buses also appear on Tour London Loop. Several courses also feature stationary buses which are outside the track and thus of no consequence to the player.

Mario Kart Tour[edit]

Moving buses also appear in Mario Kart Tour on GCN Mushroom Bridge. In this game, instead of making racers flip over, moving buses simply slow them down as a wall would; they are otherwise similar to those of previous Mario Kart games. When taken out by a player, they give "Bus" bonus points. Wiggler Wagons also appear on GCN Mushroom Bridge and its T variant. Like with the moving buses, Wiggler Wagons merely slow down racers as walls would, though they can always be bounced on to perform a trick if the player lands on top of them. When taken out by a player, they give "Wiggler Wagon" bonus points.

Stationary buses also appear on GCN Mushroom Bridge R and R/T, New York Minute 3R/T, and Bangkok Rush and its R variant. Stationary AEC Routemaster double-decker buses also appear on London Loop T and R/T, and London Loop 2R, 2T, and 2R/T. Numerous other courses and course variants feature stationary buses outside the track.

Gallery[edit]

Names in other languages[edit]

Language Name Meaning Notes
Japanese バス[?]
Basu
Bus
Arabic أتوبيس[?] Bus
Chinese 巴士[?]
Bāshì
Bus
Dutch Bus[?] -
French Bus[?] -
German Bus[?] -
Hebrew אוטובוס[?]
Otobus
Bus
Italian Autobus[?] Bus
Korean 버스[?]
Beoseu
Bus
Portuguese Ônibus[?] Bus
Russian Автобус[?]
Avtobus
Bus
Spanish Autobús[?] Bus
Vietnamese Xe buýt[?] Bus

References[edit]

  1. ^ Nintendo Magazine 2023 Summer (Digital English edition). nintendo.co.jp. Retrieved July 15, 2023. (Archived July 15, 2023, 10:48:55 UTC via Wayback Machine.)
  2. ^ 「ハイウェイバスの運転手(シルエット)は、『スーパーマリオ64』のウッキーです。」("The highway bus driver (silhouette) is a Ukiki from Super Mario 64.") - Official Mario Kart 64 Japanese website