The Bus

The Bus is an advanced simulation game that allows us not only to play the role of a city bus driver, but also to become the head of our own fleet. The game was developed by TML-Studios, a team specialised in this genre, and was published by AeroSoft.

Mechanics

The Bus gives us the entire city of Berlin at our disposal; the German capital has been transferred to the game on a 1:1 scale. In the virtual city we can find not only real depots and stops, but also monuments, public places and various landmarks known from its real counterpart. We move around the German metropolis mainly behind the wheel of a bus, but the authors also let us move freely on foot, both inside the vehicles we control and on the streets.

In the free ride mode, our task is to drive around Berlin in such a way as to follow the designated route and arrive at subsequent stops according to the schedule. Realistic day and night cycle, seasons and changing weather have been implemented in the game. Apart from that, as a bus driver, you have to have eyes all around your head to ensure safe passage for your passengers. You have to watch out for signs and traffic lights (some intersections can be extremely complicated), as well as other traffic participants (cars, trams, pedestrians), who can sometimes behave unpredictably. At bus stops, we have to wait for everyone to get off the vehicle and for everyone who wants to get on it. In the case of the latter, we must also deal with selling them tickets or checking the tickets they already have.