Buses over the ages have been such a critical tool for us yet our perspective of buses has changed over the years. Often buses have been used in conjunction with horror and thriller films. The narrative of an abandoned bus is usually painted as one filled with evil clowns and riding a bus late at night alone makes us think something creepy is right around the bend. This changes our perspective when we see a bus. Our imagination begins to run, and it typically turns towards what we have seen in the media.
The following buses are some of the most mysterious pictures of buses we could find on the internet. Whether the mystery is due to the narrative that has been presented to us or the fact that they are literally just scary is up to you. Nonetheless, they are eerie. So, sit back and enjoy.
22 Where Buses Go To Sleep
Buses are expected to last about twelve years, but this does not mean they are unusable after that time, according to Thought Co. In fact, they are usually sold at auction afterward. Some buses do eventually break down though and are used for parts.
That means that 34 million times per day (Monday-Friday), people board a public bus. So, public transportation gets used an obscene amount of times every day. They put in some real work in those twelve years.
21 This Isn’t Creepy At All
What has made this bus so creepy? The answer is unclear. The media has used its fair share of buses in horror films which could add to the creepiness of them. Just do a quick Google search with the keywords “creepy” and “buses” in the search and it will be clear that this is a widespread discussion. Everything from the scary side of having your children riding a potentially unmaintained bus by Jamie Colby with Fox News to the effects of riding a bus as a woman. YouTube does not slack on these stories either. From calling the “creepy school bus” to “the creepy school bus nightmare.” There is certainly a fear built around the school bus.
20 When Clowns Burn Down A Bus
Ever since I adventured through my first haunted house experience buses have tended to bring back multiple memories aside from school field trips. Along the haunted path was a bus that we all would siphon through. The bus was filled with frightening clowns who were determined to scare the very breath out of you. What is it with these places that they always incorporate clowns and buses together? According to USA Today, the Detroit police are investigating footage of a clown hanging from the back of a city bus driving down the road. They reported that this is not the first time this has happened which is crazy.
19 Something About An Abandoned Bus Makes You Want To Go Inside
Abandoned buses create stories across the country. Childhoods are marked by stories of finding an abandoned bus and climbing inside, exaggerated with tales of what actually happened. Just a quick Google search will bring to the surface some of those stories.
This is where he took shelter and it became his final home. Sadly, he passed away from starvation and was later found by some people who were hunting in that area.
18 The New Neighborhood Kids’ Clubhouse
The bus pictured is actually on the side of a road in Puerto Rico. This is discussed on multiple Reddit pages and confirmed by people who have seen it with their own eyes.
It is known for the Arecibo Observatory which is a radio telescope run by a few companies, one of which is the University of Central Florida. Back to the bus, however, it is interesting that the bus is on the side of the road and has never been moved by anyone.
17 Some Buses Just Look Eerie
As if the buses don’t bring enough mystery to themselves, they get made like this. Some would call this a hippie bus while others would say it only gets creepier as it ages. Some people consider hippie buses any bus made in the seventies, though the name is generally reserved for the famous the VW bus. I think a bus like this would be named a hippie bus due to its funky and unique style and colorful panels. It must be spacious inside compared to other buses of its size. This is plenty of room for a group of friends looking to live below their means and travel.
16 The Mystery Of An Abandoned Double Decker
Much to my surprise, the first double-decker bus was used in Paris in 1853, according to Birdies Perch. It was a horse-drawn double-decker where the top floor typically housed the cheap seats because it was usually uncovered. It was not for another fifty-three years until the double-decker motor bus made its first appearance, also in Paris.
Since 1906 the motor bus in double-decker form has been making moves on city tours and raking in the tourist cash for years. Those bus salesmen know how to work for a crowd and they are relentless.
15 When You Find An Abandoned Bus In The Woods, What Do You Do?
I do not know what your initial reaction may be, but I know the general process I would go through. My initial reaction would be a bit shocked yet excited. I would begin to approach quickly then slow down as I process the possibilities of what is inside this bus, factoring in the possibilities from worse to best case scenario. The anticipation would rise to a peak, perhaps some friendly peer pressure would ensue with friends, then we would cautiously barge in (as if that were a thing) and begin exploring this new-found treasure for any possible smaller treasures it may hold. According to Tampa Bay, American Pickers found Aerosmith’s original tour bus in the woods. It is a 1964 International Harvester Metro Van.
14 The Leftovers Of A Bus Are Always A Mystery
What could have happened to this bus? How much of the scars it holds are from meddling kids after it was abandoned? Perhaps some of the destruction to it was part of whatever took place for it to be left all alone and discarded. The leftovers seem to tell a story. The Eagle, a news website, shares the story of Tony Aslup who drove a school bus filled with 64 dogs and cats he rescued from the flooding of hurricane Florence in South Carolina. If that bus is ever abandoned and left over, it will certainly have an air of mystery to it.
13 Some Buses Make You Think There Is More To The Story
Whenever an abandoned bus is discovered it immediately begins to beg many questions. How did it get there? What caused it to be left to this situation? Is someone still inside? Maybe not the last one but you get the point. Some of them, though, just have this appearance to them that there is more to the story than meets the eye.
The situation had been vaguely reported until one man investigated the scene further only to find the children in such a living situation.
12 The Location Determines The Level Of Scary
Some abandoned buses have more of a “cool” feel to them, if you will, while others just simply give you the heebie-jeebies. Sometimes it is the build-up of all the folktales by your friends as you make your way to the bus. Most of the time, however, it is the location of the bus that just gives it that eerie feeling in your bones. There must be some elaborate story about how the bus got there and it could not have been a story with a happy ending. This just adds to the tension of coming across it. Then there’s deciding whether or not to go in and explore it, hoping that the story ends better for you than it did the others.
11 Some Buses Just Become Part Of Their Environment
This bus has been abandoned for so long that it is just accepted as part of the land. The greenery has claimed it as its own. It is interesting how buses seem to be one of those random things that just get left in random spots and never moved. No one decides they are going to come by and scoop them up and take them to a graveyard for buses or scrap them for parts. Buses are just left where they lay. Then they are often photographed, explored and enjoyed for years to come in an entirely different way than when they were created.
10 Do You Ever Wonder How These Buses Got Way Back Here?
This has to be a logical question. The bus is deep in the forest, surrounded by trees with no clear path in sight. How on Earth did it find its way, way back here and why? Why would it be driven to this location and left for good? Perhaps it was an out of sight, out of mind type of thing. The owner was tired of it and wanted to see it no more. So, one man’s trash became another man’s treasure as it is explored, only to be newly discovered every day by new visitors passing by in the trees. Homes have been made in it over the years by the critters roaming around and many scary stories have been told about it.
9 Some Buses Just Remain Shaggy No Matter How Old They Get
These buses are rad no matter how they are taken care of, or not in this instance. This would be such a gold mine to walk upon in the woods and find a way to get it home.
He was inspired for the idea in 1946 when visiting the VW factory in Wolfsburg. According to VW Heritage, He saw their parts transporter on a VW chassis and from there the idea began to take form into what we know today as the VW Bus.
8 No Longer Touring The City Streets
This double-decker tour bus is no longer in use, but it still has a unique story. Not this specific bus but the history behind the iconic red color. The red is most iconic in London, however, if you have ever been in a big city you will notice that the most common color for tour buses is red.
They were walking into them prior to their color change in the mid-1800s, according to BBC America. By 1884 all the mailboxes were painted red. The double-decker buses came in to replace the red trams so naturally they were painted the now iconic red.
7 The Doors Always Stay Open For Visitors
After some research, I have found a quality photo of the abandoned bus that became the home and resting place of Christopher McCandless. This is the young man spoken of earlier. This is his bus. Chris set out to live with the least material possessions possible. He kept a daily journal of his days living in this abandoned bus he had come across, according to ChristopherMcCandless.info. He journaled of the times he was so weak he could not get out of the bus and the times he harvested his own wild animals. His final self-portrait was of him holding a note in his left hand and waving with his right. The note read, “I have had a happy life and thank the Lord, goodbye and may God bless all!”
6 Underground Buses Bring Back Memories Of Haunted Houses
They really do. It feels like a clown is right around the corner and someone is nearing me from behind ready to scream until I scream. Something even more ironic than buses driving underground is when a man buries 42 buses underground to create a nuclear shelter.
He dubbed it “The Ark Two” and this time the “ark” resides 15 feet underground instead of the original which floated amidst the waves.
5 Can You Think Of Abandoned Buses Without Thinking Of Clowns?
I am not sure what the connection between clowns and buses is. People dressed up as clowns are often paired with a bus, whether it is a haunted house trail and you have to make your way through a crowded bus of clowns or it is on the streets of the city where clowns hang onto moving buses. According to STN Online, reports came out of a clown chasing a girl down the street as she waited for her school bus to arrive. The YouTube Channel TWFoto records a full bus unloading clowns. While the clowns were not dressed spooky, something about it felt odd.
4 Is It A Home Or A Bus?
One of the newest trends that has taken off in the last few years is converting old buses into tiny homes. This is also known as Skoolies, according to 9 News. It is basically a DIY RV and is easier to travel in than towing a camper around. While tiny homes are a larger trend this sub-trend, if you will, is great for those interested in both traveling and tiny homes. Some of these buses go from rusty old hunks of metal to beautiful but small living quarters. When done right they look very homey. A lot of people love it but it is also not for a lot of people.
3 Late Night Bus Rides
Dave Holtz rode a Greyhound bus from San Francisco to New York in order to make it home for the holidays and still have some money in his pocket. Plane tickets for a ride that far to a place like New York around the holidays are not cheap tickets.
His trip had many late-night adventures as he traveled across the country only to find it was the people that made the trip, from the mother he quoted as she was scolding her child to the man he sat next to who may or may not have just been robbed.
2 When A Bus Party Goes Wrong
I am not sure of what took place in this period of time that a bus of this proportion would get abandoned on what appears to be a small intersection entering a parking lot. What would usually be considered an eyesore seems to have become decor for some. The bush seems to have made its home in the engine bay and I am sure many other creatures and people have spent a night or two in this.
1 Some Buses Have Shape, All Buses Are Creepy
Just in case you thought International Harvester only built tractors, I thought I would show you this. It was as much of a shock to me as it is to you. Well, maybe. This bus is an International Harvester from the 1960s. Everything built back then had so much more shape and character to them. You could tell the difference between one make and another, whereas nowadays nearly all the everyday cars look alike with not much character or uniqueness to them. The International Harvester Bus was known as the S-Series which stood for “Schoolmaster,” according to IPFS.lo. It was built on a conventional bus chassis but manufactured by International Harvester.
Sources: Thought Co, Fox News, USA Today, Only In Your State, Reddit, Birdies Perch, Tampa Bay, The Eagle, CBS News
