A minibus, microbus, minicoach, or commuter (in

Zimbabwe Zimbabwe (), officially the Republic of Zimbabwe, is a landlocked country located in Southeast Africa, between the Zambezi and Limpopo Rivers, bordered by South Africa to the south, Botswana to the south-west, Zambia to the north, and ...

) is a passenger-carrying motor vehicle that is designed to carry more people than a multi-purpose vehicle or minivan, but fewer people than a full-size bus. In the

United Kingdom The United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern Ireland, commonly known as the United Kingdom (UK) or Britain, is a country in Europe, off the north-western coast of the European mainland, continental mainland. It comprises England, Scotlan ...

, the word "minibus" is used to describe any full-sized passenger-carrying van or panel truck. Minibuses have a

seating capacity Seating capacity is the number of people who can be seated in a specific space, in terms of both the physical space available, and limitations set by law. Seating capacity can be used in the description of anything ranging from an automobile that ...

of between 12 and 30 seats. Larger minibusses may be called

midibus A midibus is a classification of single-decker minibuses which are generally larger than a traditional minibus but smaller than a full-size single decker and can be anywhere between and long. While used in many parts of the world, the mi ...

es. Minibuses are typically front engine step in vehicles, although

low floor Accessibility is the design of products, devices, services, vehicles, or environments so as to be usable by people with disabilities. The concept of accessible design and practice of accessible development ensures both "direct access" (i. ...

minibuses do exist and are particularly common in Japan. Minibuses may range in price from £2000 to nearly £100,000.

History

It is unknown when the first minibus vehicle was released but it is possible that the first one was the 1935-1955 Chevrolet Suburban or the

Volkswagen Transporter The Volkswagen Transporter, based on the Volkswagen Group's T platform, now in its seventh generation, refers to a series of vans produced for over 70 years and marketed worldwide. The T series is now considered an official Volkswagen Group aut ...

, even though the Suburban is thought by most to be an

SUV A sport utility vehicle (SUV) is a car classification that combines elements of road-going passenger cars with features from off-road vehicles, such as raised ground clearance and four-wheel drive. There is no commonly agreed-upon definiti ...

, the first generation to the third generation could have theoretically be classified as minibusses today. 1937 Chevrolet Carryall Suburban

Usage

Minibuses are used for a variety of reasons. In a

public transport Public transport (also known as public transportation, public transit, mass transit, or simply transit) is a system of transport for passengers by group travel systems available for use by the general public unlike private transport, typi ...

role, they can be used as fixed route

transit bus Transit may refer to: Arts and entertainment Film * ''Transit'' (1979 film), a 1979 Israeli film * ''Transit'' (2005 film), a film produced by MTV and Staying-Alive about four people in countries in the world * ''Transit'' (2006 film), a 2006 ...

es, airport buses, flexible

demand responsive transport Demand-responsive transport (DRT), also known as demand-responsive transit, demand-responsive service,
US National Trans ...

vehicles,

share taxis Share may refer to: * Share, to make joint use of a resource (such as food, money, or space); see Sharing * Share (finance), a stock or other financial security (such as a mutual fund) * Share, Kwara, a town and LGA in Kwara State, Nigeria Share ...

or large

taxicab A taxi, also known as a taxicab or simply a cab, is a type of vehicle for hire with a driver, used by a single passenger or small group of passengers, often for a non-shared ride. A taxicab conveys passengers between locations of their choi ...

s. Accessible minibuses can also be used for

paratransit Paratransit is the term used in North America, also known by other names such as community transport ( UK) for transportation services that supplement fixed-route mass transit by providing individualized rides without fixed routes or timetables. ...

type services, by local authorities, transit operators, hospitals or charities. Private uses of minibuses can include

corporate A corporation is an organization—usually a group of people or a company—authorized by the state to act as a single entity (a legal entity recognized by private and public law "born out of statute"; a legal person in legal context) and r ...

transport, charter buses,

tour bus A tour bus service is an escorted tour (sometimes a package holiday) or bus service that takes visitors sightseeing, with routes around tourist attractions. Information Double-decker buses and open top buses are commonly used, for provid ...

es. Schools, sports clubs, community groups and charities may also use minibuses for private transport. Individual owners may use reduced seating minibuses as cheap

recreational vehicles A recreational vehicle, often abbreviated as RV, is a motor vehicle or trailer that includes living quarters designed for accommodation. Types of RVs include motorhomes, campervans, coaches, caravans (also known as travel trailers and camper ...

Types

By size, microbuses are minibuses smaller than long.

Midibus A midibus is a classification of single-decker minibuses which are generally larger than a traditional minibus but smaller than a full-size single decker and can be anywhere between and long. While used in many parts of the world, the mi ...

es are minibuses bigger than microbuses but smaller than

full-size buses Full-size car—also known as large car—is a vehicle size class which originated in the United States and is used for cars larger than mid-size cars, it is the largest size class for cars. In Europe, it is known as E-segment or F-segment. ...

. There are many different types and configurations of minibuses, due to historical and local differences, and usage. Minibus designs can be classified in three main groups, with a general increase in seating capacity with each type: *Van conversions. Simple, optional extras *Body builds *Purpose-built

Van conversions

The most basic source of minibuses is the van conversion, where the minibus is derived by modifying the existing van design. Conversions may be produced completely by the van manufacturer, sold as part of their standard model line-up, or be produced by specialist conversion companies, who source a suitably prepared base model from the van manufacturer for final completion as a minibus. Van conversions involve adding windows to the bodywork, and seating to the cargo area. Van conversion minibuses outwardly look the same shape as the parent van, and the driver and front passenger cabin remains unchanged, retaining the driver and passenger doors. Access to the former cargo area for passengers is through the standard van side sliding door, or the rear doors. These may be fitted with step equipment to make boarding easier. Optional extras to van converted minibuses can include the addition of a

rollsign A destination sign (North American English) or destination indicator/destination blind (British English) is a sign mounted on the front, side or rear of a public transport vehicle, such as a bus, tram/streetcar or light rail vehicle, that di ...

for transit work, and/or a full-height walk-in door, for passenger access to the former cargo area. For public transport use, this door may be an automatic

concertina A concertina is a free-reed musical instrument, like the various accordions and the harmonica. It consists of expanding and contracting bellows, with buttons (or keys) usually on both ends, unlike accordion buttons, which are on the front. The ...

type. For other uses, this may be a simple plug style coach door. Depending on the relevant legislation, conversions may also involve wheelchair lifts and

tachograph A tachograph is a device fitted to a vehicle that automatically records its speed and distance, together with the driver's activity selected from a choice of modes. The drive mode is activated automatically when the vehicle is in motion, and ...

equipment. A van conversion with a passenger area in the front and a storage area in the back, behind a fixed bulkhead, is called a splitter bus. Examples of vans used for these conversion minibuses are: * Fiat Ducato * Ford Transit * Freight Rover Sherpa *

GAZelle A gazelle is one of many antelope species in the genus ''Gazella'' . This article also deals with the seven species included in two further genera, '' Eudorcas'' and '' Nanger'', which were formerly considered subgenera of ''Gazella''. A third ...

Hyundai H350 The Hyundai H350, also known as the Hyundai Solati in South Korea, Malaysia and Vietnam, and Hyundai Solati H350 in Mexico, is a light commercial 5-door van manufactured by the South Korean manufacturer Hyundai. The vehicle was introduced at the ...

* Iveco Daily *

Mercedes-Benz Sprinter The Mercedes-Benz Sprinter is a light commercial vehicle (van) built by Mercedes-Benz Group AG of Stuttgart, Germany as a large van, chassis cab, minibus, and pickup truck. In the past, the Sprinter had been sold under the Mercedes-Benz, Dod ...

Renault Master The Renault Master is a large van produced by the French manufacturer Renault since 1980, now in its third generation. It replaced the earlier Renault Super Goélette light trucks. Opel has sold versions of the second and third series vans a ...

Toyota Hiace The (pronounced "High Ace") is a light commercial vehicle produced by the Japanese automobile manufacturer Toyota. First launched in October 1967, the HiAce has since been available in a wide range of body configurations, including a minivan/M ...

Volkswagen Crafter The Volkswagen Crafter, introduced in 2006, is the largest three- to five-ton van produced and sold by the German automaker Volkswagen Commercial Vehicles. The Crafter officially replaced the Volkswagen Transporter LT that was launched in 1975, ...

Tata Winger The Tata Winger is a light commercial van produced by the Indian automaker Tata Motors in 2007. It is a rebadged version of the Renault Trafic Mk1 Phase 3 van, but fitted with Tata's own 2 litre diesel engines, competing with the Volkswagen Tra ...

Body builds

Another method of building a minibus is for a

second stage manufacturer A second stage manufacturer, known in the industry as "bodybuilder," builds such products as bus and truck bodies, ambulances, motor homes, and other specialized vehicles. Neither their product, nor the first stage portion, called an ''incomp ...

to build a specific body for fitting to a semi-completed van or light truck chassis. These allow a higher seating capacity than a simple van conversion. Often, the second stage manufacturer is a

bus manufacturer Bus manufacturing, a sector of the automotive industry, manufactures buses and coaches. History Bus manufacturing had its earliest origins in carriage building. Other bus manufacturers had their origins in truck manufacturing. Historically, ...

. In a body-on-chassis minibus, a cabin body is installed on a van or light truck chassis encompassing the drivers area. These designs may retain some outward signs of the original van, such as the

hood Hood may refer to: Covering Apparel * Hood (headgear), type of head covering ** Article of academic dress ** Bondage hood, sex toy * Hoodie, hooded sweatshirt Anatomy * Clitoral hood, a hood of skin surrounding the clitoris * Hood, a flap of ...

and grill. Other designs are visually a complete bus design, and it is merely the chassis underneath that is from the van design. The body-on-chassis approach gives the advantage of higher seating capacity, or more room for passenger comfort, through a larger cabin area. There is also the advantage of being able to have the drivers seat positioned in a small cubicle, next to the main passenger entrance, allowing the driver to collect fares in a transit bus role. Examples of body built minibuses are: * Busette (cut away chassis) * Optare CityPacer (visually complete bus based on a van chassis) *

Plaxton Beaver The Plaxton Beaver, originally known as the Reeve Burgess Beaver, is a minibus body built by Plaxton. It was built at the Pilsley, Derbyshire factory of Plaxton's Reeve Burgess subsidiary from 1987 to 1991, at Plaxton's main Scarborough facto ...

(built on the Mercedes-Benz T2 and later the Vario chassis) Examples of vehicles used for this type of minibuses are: * Ford Transit *

Freight Rover Freight Rover was a British commercial vehicle manufacturer based in the Washwood Heath area of Birmingham, England. History Freight Rover was created as a division of the Land Rover Group of British Leyland (BL) in 1981, creating a new singl ...

* Iveco Daily *

Isuzu Elf The is a medium duty truck produced by Isuzu since 1959. Outside Japan it is known as N series and Q Series. The range was originally mainly available in Japan and other Asian countries. Australia was another important market for the Elf and ...

locally built as the NQR bus

Purpose built

A next generation approach to the van-derived or cutaway chassis approach, is for manufacturers to produce an integral design, where the whole vehicle is purposely designed and built for use as a minibus. This is usually done by an integral

, although large automotive groups also produce their own models. These designs are often available in long high capacity versions, and may attract different designations, such as

, or light bus. Examples of purpose built minibuses are: * Hino Liesse *

Isuzu Journey The Isuzu Journey (kana:いすゞ・ジャーニー) is a minibus produced by the Japanese manufacturer Isuzu since 1970, and in 1973 in its current somewhat larger format. The range was primarily available as a city bus and a tourist coach. ...

MCW Metrorider The MCW Metrorider, launched at the 1986 Motor Show, was a minibus designed built by Metro Cammell Weymann (MCW) between 1986 and 1989. Constructed in two lengths, 7.0 m and 8.4 m, the Metrorider was an integral bus, marking it out from its va ...

(also termed a

) * Nissan Diesel RN *

Nissan Civilian The Nissan Civilian (kana: 日産・シビリアン, Shibirian) is a single-decker minibus built by Japanese automaker Nissan since 1971. It is primarily available as a public bus and an intercity bus. In Japan, it was exclusive to '' Nissa ...

Mitsubishi Fuso Rosa The Mitsubishi Fuso Rosa (kana: 三菱ふそう・ローザ) is a Japanese minibus based on the Mitsubishi Fuso Canter manufactured by Mitsubishi Fuso Truck and Bus Corporation. The Mitsubishi Fuso Rosa was launched in 1960 and is now in its fif ...

Toyota Coaster The is a single-decker minibus produced by Toyota Motor Corporation. It was introduced in 1969, with the second generation introduced in 1982, followed by the third generation in 1993 and the fourth generation in late 2016. In Japan, the Coa ...

* Karsan J9 Premier (Similar-looking ancestor

Peugeot J9 The Peugeot J9 is a van manufactured by Peugeot Peugeot (, , ) is a French brand of automobiles owned by Stellantis. The family business that preceded the current Peugeot companies was founded in 1810, with a steel foundry that soon started ...

is a van conversion) * Karsan J10 *

Hyundai County The Hyundai County (hangul:현대 카운티) is a single-decker minibus manufactured by the truck & bus division of Hyundai. It was introduced in 1998 as a successor to the Chorus. It is primarily available as city buses and tourist buses. It ...

* Daewoo Lestar *

Renault Dodge S56 Groupe Renault ( , , , also known as the Renault Group in English; legally Renault S.A.) is a French multinational automobile manufacturer established in 1899. The company produces a range of cars and vans, and in the past has manufactured ...

Low floor minibuses

Following the development of

low-floor Accessibility is the design of products, devices, services, vehicles, or environments so as to be usable by people with disabilities. The concept of accessible design and practice of accessible development ensures both "direct access" (i. ...

technology, some low-floor purpose built minibuses have been created. Some offer a low floor access through a centre door. Some short versions of low floor midibuses are sometimes also called minibuses. *

Orion International Orion Bus Industries, also known as Bus Industries of America in the United States, was a private bus manufacturer based in Mississauga, Ontario, Canada. The company had its main manufacturing plant in Mississauga and sent bus body shells to t ...

" Orion II" * Mitsubishi Fuso Aero Midi ME *

Optare Solo The Optare Solo is a low-floor minibus/midibus with one or two doors manufactured by Optare in the United Kingdom since 1998. The Solo name is a play on its low-floor status, the manufacturer marketing its vehicle as having an entrance that is ...

(termed a midibus) *

Optare Alero The Optare Alero is a low-floor GRP monocoque minibus that was built by Optare between 2001 and 2008. It was built as an alternative to van-derived buses such as the Mercedes-Benz Sprinter. Around 300 were built in the first five years of pro ...

Hino Poncho The is a low-floor minibus produced by Hino Motors through the J-Bus joint venture. First generation (2002-2005) The first-generation Poncho was based on the Fiat Ducato chassis. *VF3ZCPMAC (2002) File:Tokyubus-kap10-hi23-20060302.jpg, Pon ...

(1st generation front-engined, 2nd

rear-engined In automobile design, a rear-engine design layout places the engine at the rear of the vehicle. The center of gravity of the engine itself is behind the rear axle. This is not to be confused with the center of gravity of the whole vehicle, as an ...

) * Nissan Diesel RN (some models have a low floor middle entrance) * Bluebird Tucana (full length low flat floor from Bluebird Vehicles Ltd) * Bluebird Auriga (tri-axle design) *

* Karsan Jest

Regional variants

There are many different form of public transportation services around the world that are provided by using vehicles that can be considered as minibus: *

Chiva bus A chiva (Spanish for goat) or ''escalera'' (Spanish for ladder and stairs) is an artisan rustic bus used in rural Colombia. Chivas are adapted to rural public transport, especially considering the mountainous geography of the Andean region of t ...

in Colombia and Ecuador *

Colectivo ''Colectivo'' (English: collective bus) is the name given in Argentina, Colombia, Chile and Paraguay to a type of public transportation vehicle, especially those of Argentina's capital city, Buenos Aires. The name comes from ''vehículos de tran ...

in southern South America *

Community bus A community is a social unit (a group of living things) with commonality such as place, norms, religion, values, customs, or identity. Communities may share a sense of place situated in a given geographical area (e.g. a country, village, town ...

(Japanese コミュニティバス ''komiunitibasu'') in Japan (Include minibus and

) *

Dala dala Dala dala are minibus share taxis in Tanzania.Thoughts On Dala Dala Buse ...

in Tanzania *

Dollar van A dollar van (also known as a jitney) is a privately-owned type of bus service used to carry passengers in the United States. Dollar vans are typically modified passenger vans, and often operate in urban neighborhoods that are under-served by pu ...

a.k.a. jitneys, in the United States. * Dolmuş in Turkey *

Jeepney Jeepneys (), sometimes called jeeps (), are minibus-like public transportation, public utility vehicles, serving as the most popular means of Transportation in the Philippines, public transportation in the Philippines. They are known for their ...

in the Philippines * Maeul-bus (Korean 마을버스) in South Korea *

Marshrutka ''Marshrutka''Matatu In Kenya matatu or matatus (known as mathree in Sheng) are privately owned minibuses used as share taxis. Often decorated, many ''matatu'' feature portraits of famous people or slogans and sayings. Likewise, the music they play is also aimed ...

around Kenya *

Minibus taxi A minibus, microbus, minicoach, or commuter (in Zimbabwe) is a passenger-carrying motor vehicle that is designed to carry more people than a multi-purpose vehicle or minivan, but fewer people than a full-size bus. In the United Kingdom, ...

in South Africa, Ethiopia, see also Taxi wars in South Africa *

Pesero A pesero, combi, micro or microbús is a form of public transport, most commonly seen in Mexico City. Its name derives from the fact that in the beginning of this form of transport a flat fee of one peso was charged per ride (hence the name "peser ...

, minibuses operating as regular buses in Mexico, especially in Mexico City. *

Public light bus The public light bus or minibus is a public transport service in Hong Kong. It uses minibuses to serve areas that standard Hong Kong bus lines cannot reach efficiently. The vehicles are colloquially known by the code-switch ' (Van Jái) lit ...

es, in Hong Kong. * Sherut in Israel * Songthaew around Thailand and Lao *

Tap tap ''Tap taps'' ( ht, Taptap, ) are gaily painted buses or pick-up trucks with metal coversHa ...

in Haiti *

Tro tro In Ghana and neighboring countries, tro tro are privately owned minibus share taxis that travel fixed routes leaving when filled to capacity. While there are ''tro tro'' stations, these vehicles for hire can also be boarded anywhere along the ...

around Ghana *

Weyala A weyala () is a conductor who receives fares on minibus share taxis in Ethiopia. He also has the duty of informing potential passenger A passenger (also abbreviated as pax) is a person who travels in a vehicle, but does not bear any res ...

in Ethiopia

Driving licence

Some countries may require an additional class of

driving licence A driver's license is a legal authorization, or the official document confirming such an authorization, for a specific individual to operate one or more types of motorized vehicles—such as motorcycles, cars, trucks, or buses—on a public ...

over a normal private car licence, and some may require a full

commercial driving licence A commercial driver's license (CDL) is a driver's license required in the United States to operate large and heavy vehicles (including trucks, buses, and trailers) or a vehicle of any size that transports hazardous materials or more than 15 p ...

. The need for such a licence may depend on: *Vehicle weight or size *Seating capacity *Driver age *Intended usage *Additional training (such as the Minibus Driver Awareness Scheme in the UK) In the UK the following information regarding Minibus driving licences is important: "The holder of an ordinary car driving licence which was obtained prior to January 1997, once aged 21 years minimum, may drive a Minibus with a capacity of 16 passengers. Where the "ordinary car driving licence" is obtained after December 1996, they will have to take a separate test to drive a vehicle with a capacity of more than 8 passengers. However, there is an exemption for certain volunteer drivers, where the vehicle does not exceed 3500 kg GVW (or 4250 kg GVW if the vehicle is designed to be wheelchair accessible)
Driving licence source
A driving licence issued in

Ontario Ontario ( ; ) is one of the thirteen provinces and territories of Canada.Ontario is located in the geographic eastern half of Canada, but it has historically and politically been considered to be part of Central Canada. Located in Central C ...

, Canada, for an equivalent of a UK class B or class B-auto driving licence (in the case of Ontario, a class G licence), allows its holder to drive vehicles with:
11 tonnes maximum authorized mass, including trailers with 4.6 tonnes MAM6 tonnes MAM in certain cases
*passenger seating capacity o
9 or less
Anyone wanting to drive a vehicle in Ontario, with the same MAM limits as for class G vehicles, with fewer than 25, but at least 10, passenger seats, must obtain a bus licence. This licence will allow, for example, its holder to driv

that

Transport Canada Transport Canada (french: Transports Canada) is the department within the Government of Canada responsible for developing regulations, policies and services of road, rail, marine and air transportation in Canada. It is part of the Transporta ...

defines as large passenger vans.

Gallery

File:Samba(1).jpg,

Volkswagen Type 2 The Volkswagen Type 2, known officially (depending on body type) as the Transporter, Kombi or Microbus, or, informally, as the Bus (US), Camper (UK) or Bulli (Germany), is a forward control light commercial vehicle introduced in 1950 by the Ge ...

"microbus" File:GAZel-Marshrutka of Piteravto in Tosno.jpg, Russian

marshrutka ''Marshrutka''Ford E450 cutaway chassis design, with more integrated bodywork File:GE-RZH125B-Kanachu-a13-Yumebus.jpg, Step equipped van on a converted

Toyota HiAce The (pronounced "High Ace") is a light commercial vehicle produced by the Japanese automobile manufacturer Toyota. First launched in October 1967, the HiAce has since been available in a wide range of body configurations, including a minivan/M ...

minibus File:Dolmuş.JPG, Van converted minibuses as light transit buses File:Optare Alero 1.jpg,

integral low floor minibus File:Iveco Daily obuses Orell.jpg, Van conversion Iveco Daily minibus with full height entrance door File:Coaches 26 Oct 2013 unknown (10519601305).jpg, Iveco Daily minibus in the UK File:PA-ME17DF Kanako Ka1007.jpg, Mitsubishi Fuso Aero Midi ME low floor minibus File:Hokutetsu Kanazawa Chuo Bus.JPG, Nissan Diesel RN partially low floor light bus File:HUST local traffic 4126.jpg, Electric minibus in China File:Buses 4U SN08 EJL.JPG, A

minibus File:Thanyaburi Transport 381.jpg,

in Pathumthani,

Thailand Thailand ( ), historically known as Siam () and officially the Kingdom of Thailand, is a country in Southeast Asia, located at the centre of the Indochinese Peninsula, spanning , with a population of almost 70 million. The country is b ...

(Thanyaburi Transport CO.,LTD.) File:Thep U-Thong Khonsong 338.jpg, Toyota Coaster B50 in Pathumthani,

(Thep U-Thong Khonsong CO.,LTD) File:Higer KLQ6608GC 374 374K3-1.jpg,

Higer Higer Bus Company Limited, also known as Higer Bus, is a Chinese bus manufacturer based in Suzhou, Jiangsu province. It was established at the end of 1998. HIGER is China's leading exporter of buses and coaches, whose units are available in mo ...

KLQ6608GC in Pathumthani,

(Kittisoontorn CO.,LTD.)