Bus Manufacturing - Identification

Identification

The use of different body and chassis manufacturers can mean one bus can have up to four identifying badges - the chassis maker and model, and the bodywork maker and model, making non-expert recognition difficult compared to the identification of other vehicles, such as cars. Operators may also paint over, or completely remove badges. This is further confused in Transport in Malta, where the tradition of local modification has seen the wrong marques applied to buses. Several bus companies have changed ownership and name many times, leading to the same bus design receiving many different name badges, most notably Transbus International.

A further confusion can arise in the case where identical bodywork is applied to different chassis. This is sometimes truly identical, or only different in minor details. Mid-engined chassis designs are often identifiable by a mid mounted radiator and exhaust.

Radically different bus company liveries can cause problems in the application of a livery to a specific design. Many operators will apply a corporate design in the same way to any bus, leading to some odd sight lines. Some operators are more sympathetic, and tailor their liveries to the specific lines of each bus body design in use.