The Big Bus - The Bus

The Bus

The central set piece of the film is the bus itself—credited for the design is the film's art director Joel Schiller. The bus is a nuclear powered, double-decker, articulated bus with 32 wheels. It is nicknamed "Cyclops" due to the single large headlight prominent at the front. The front also featured large wraparound windows on both upper and lower decks—with the lower deck containing the cockpit and the upper, front portion containing the lounge/bar. The Cyclops requires the operation of two drivers (Driver and Co-Driver). In the film, the Cyclops is equipped with a bowling alley, Oriental style cocktail lounge (complete with piano bar), swimming pool, Captain's dining room, private marble & gold bathroom with sunken tub, chef's kitchen, exterior automatic washing mechanisms, flags of all nations (that retract from the roof), automatic en route tire changers, as well as a passenger capacity of 110. It can be compared to the Neoplan Jumbocruiser, an actual double decker articulated super bus with a capacity of 170, originally built in 1975. The Jumbocruiser was built in Germany and did not have a nuclear reactor.

According to articles in 1976 issues of both Motortrend Magazine and the now defunct Bus World magazine, the real vehicle used in the film was a large road-worthy vehicle created by production designer Joel Schiller. Though the most visible front portions of the bus (bar & cockpit) appeared to be functional, the remainder of the body of the vehicle was mostly empty—containing only the engine, suspension and essential mechanisms used for exterior trick shots. While the bus was an awe inspiring sight, few behind-the-scenes and construction photos or plans have surfaced. According to Joel Schiller's web site, the actual bus built for the film was part of the Los Angeles Bicentennial parade in 1976.

Further, an article in the now-defunct bus enthusiast magazine Bus World stated that the bus made a trip from Los Angeles to San Diego, California, as a film promotion in 1976. The Bus World article also contained extensive photos and details about the building of the bus. The article states that the rear half of the bus was a separate vehicle with a driver. The two halves of the bus would arrive separately at the filming location where they were joined together for shooting. The rear driver was unable to see and was directed by radio. In the scene in which the bus departs the terminal on its voyage, the front wheels on the rear portion of the bus are seen turning independently as the bus makes a very tight turn out of the terminal. According the car enthusiast web site Jalopnik.com, the bus was scrapped.

In the closing credits of the film, Trailways Bus Lines is thanked for their help in creating the bus. It is not known what role they took in creating the Cyclops. The fictional bus line in the film that operates the Cyclops is Coyote Bus Lines, a riff on Greyhound Lines.