The Big Bus - Plot

Plot

The scientists of the Coyote Bus Lines feverishly work to complete Cyclops, enabling man to achieve a new milestone in bussing: non-stop service between New York City and Denver. Almost immediately after inserting nuclear fuel into the bus's engine, a bomb goes off, almost killing Professor Baxter, the scientist in charge of the project. Cyclops itself is undamaged, but Coyote Lines has lost both its driver and co-driver. Kitty Baxter, the professor's daughter and the Cyclops's designer, is forced to turn to Dan Torrance, an old flame. Once a promising driver, Torrance was disgraced after he crashed his bus atop Mount Diablo, and was accused of saving his own life by eating all of his passengers. (Torrance blamed his co-driver for cannibalism, insisting that he himself survived by eating the seats and the luggage, and only ate part of a passenger's foot by accident.) Narrowly surviving an assault by vindictive fellow drivers with the help of "Shoulders" O'Brien, Torrance is recruited to drive Cyclops.

Meanwhile, a sinister tycoon plots with oil sheikhs to destroy the bus. Known as "Iron Man", he spends the film in a huge iron lung while directing his brother Alex to sabotage Cyclops using timebombs. Alex would prefer to use a manmade earthquake, but Iron Man insists that the bus be destroyed and discredited. Before its maiden voyage, Alex sneaks aboard and hides a bomb within the bus.

On the big day, the bus leaves New York bound for Denver. Among the passengers are the Cranes, a married couple waiting for their divorce to finalize; Father Kudos, a priest who has lost his way; Dr. Kurtz, a disgraced veterinarian; Emery Bush, a man with only a few months to live; and Camille Levy, whose father died on Mount Diablo.

At first, Cyclops's journey is a success, and Torrance triumphantly breaks the 90 mph "wind barrier" ("breaking wind"). Soon, however, disaster strikes. Investigating a mechanical problem, Dan finds Alex's bomb. He disarms it only before an explosion rips through another part of the bus. Now unable to stop, Cyclops plows across America. Dan is determined to achieve Cyclops's historic goal of non-stop service to Denver, but he also needs to surpass a treacherously curvy road where his father "bought it". Dan almost succeeds, but not before the bus runs partially off the road, finding itself teetering over a cliff. To save the bus, Dan and Shoulders shift all weight the back of the bus by pumping all of Cyclops's supply of soft drinks into the galley, and jettisoning all of the luggage.

Knowing he has only one more chance to destroy Cyclops, Iron Man is finally persuaded by Alex to use the earthquake. Unfortunately for Iron Man, Alex sets the coordinates for Iron Man's house and not Cyclops.

Back on the road, Cyclops finally makes its way to Denver. In the final scene, the bus is only 25 miles outside of Denver when the front and rear halves of the bus split from each other. It is unknown why and how the front and rear halves split from each other.