Motor Coaches and Charabancs

The coach – distinguished from the bus by its use for longer-haul and more comfortable trips – has a long and august history.

Its origins lie in the charabanc, a long open-topped vehicle used to transport passengers on works outings and pleasure excursions.

Over time, coaches came to be enclosed and fitted with more comfortable seating and higher-quality bodywork than the charabancs and the buses used on shorter routes. By the 1960s and 1970s on-board toilets began to be fitted, and despite a...