Half a croissant, on a plate, with a sign in front of it saying '50c'
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Bar Bus

After a busy day, drink your way home!
  (+53, -3)(+53, -3)(+53, -3)
(+53, -3)
  [vote for,
against]

Nobody likes driving in rush hour - I sure don't look forward to it. And, in the city I live in, the public transportation is failing miserably (everybody would prefer the control of driving themselves, I think). So I have a solution to both problems.... I present THE BAR BUS! You know how you have a bar car in a train? Same idea, but this is a *bus* with a bar in it. You could have a bar right down the middle, and people could take their seats on either side. With any luck, they'd serve decent drinks and h'ors d'oevres, and play interesting music, and people might have a good time on the way home. Bye-bye, road rage!

What's even better, in the morning rush, the Bar Bus could double as THE BREAKFAST BUS! Serving coffee and croissants (or more, if possible), and your morning paper, you could make better use of your commute - and get to work ready to take on your day (looking forward to taking the bar bus home, of course)!

Whatcha think?

stephee, May 10 2002

(???) There... http://www.mystudio...uk/drunk_by_bus.jpg
but for the grace of Gawd [thumbwax, May 10 2002]

<Homer> http://www.infosyss...sines/trolley69.jpg
Beeeer</Homer> [thumbwax, May 10 2002]

(??) Bar Bus drawing http://bz.pair.com/fun/Bar_Bus.html
One possibility, probably a bit overdone. I was thinking of a quiet, cozy elegance but admit that it's not very likely. (55kb image) [bristolz, May 11 2002, last modified May 12 2002]

(???) Nightcruiser Hamburg http://www.nightcruiser-hamburg.de/
Baked for the night. [till, May 12 2002]

(??) Telescoping bars River_20Generators_20for_20Canoe_20Trips
[normzone, Oct 29 2008]

[link]






       Cozy.  In San Francisco, commuters on the passenger ferries can do exactly this.  I agree that this would be a novel, and probably successful, concept on a metro bus, provided the liquor laws could be changed enough to allow it to happen on the roadways.  It would be pretty narrow to do it right down the middle of the bus, though.  I think you'd have to offset it to one side while still having enough space behind the bar for the bartendress and /or breakfast wench.   

       The downside: road rage might occasionally be replaced by a bus-room brawl.   

       Nonetheless, this gets + 1 croissant from me.
bristolz, May 10 2002
  

       I might have to move farther away from work just so I could ride this bus!
(What a great first post!)
mwburden, May 10 2002
  

       The buses I use always seem to have put the bar away *just* before I got on. At least, there's always a few noisy drunks on them, so thats what I imagine must have happened.
mcscotland, May 10 2002
  

       great idea. but in london there isnt space to fit all the people on the buses, let alone a bar. & if they did, you wouldnt be able to get near it. & even if someone passed your snacks to you, there isnt enough elbow room to raise a hand to your mouth...
but thats a fault of our awful, & now political, transport provision. i would love to see swanky new trams with a breakfast service. fruit, pastry's & tea !
mymus, May 10 2002
  

       I don't care where it goes, stephee...If it looks like Bristolz' illustration, sign me up for two passages daily. This is an idea that Los Angeles, with a tip of the hat to the suburban commuter trains of the Upper Main Line, desperately needs.
jurist, May 11 2002
  

       jurist - I wonder if the Bus Riders Union would approve of it.
thumbwax, May 11 2002
  

       Great! Just the sort of boost our public transport system needs!   

       Only worry I have is that they will overchage. Just make sure a pint is less than £2 and I'm all for it!   

       Hmmmmm.....must be breakfast time : Croissant!!!
ferret, May 11 2002
  

       Wouldn't it be better to have bars at bus stops, like they have at airports and train stations? Generally I spend longer waiting for a bus than riding on it. Imagine, a little booth by every stop selling alcohol like those coffee booths you get in towns now.
pottedstu, May 12 2002
  

       theres no real problem about space but what with potholes and sharp corners etc it would work a lot better on a train especially around here where almost everyone (not in a car) commutes by train. maybe if there was some way to stabilise the bus like rally car ultra-suspension it could work
chud, May 12 2002
  

       In Hamburg we have something like this. Only in the nights but you can buy beer, soft- and energy drinks. The buses are driving from club to club and have got own sound systems. (The regular transport system is running this!) Unfortunately the Nightcruiser sucks. They play cheap dance and techno hits, and the audience is... - according. So you can't really use them to cruise through the night.
till, May 12 2002
  

       The state of British railways and trains, I don't see how a bus could be any worse. (Don't get me started on the state of British roads though.) You just need oversized beer glasses, or to drink from the bottle.
pottedstu, May 12 2002
  

       I've never used the water bus service in London, but I hear that it's possible to get breakfast on it.
On a related note, how about if rock bands allowed their tour buses to be used for public transport while they weren't using them for touring? - "Tour Bus Public Transport" or something: For the average commuter, this would have all the attractions off the "Bar Bus", plus the kudos of travelling on the vehicle which Ricky Martin, Kylie Minogue, Slipknot, Steps or the popular beat combo of your choice had last used. While travelling, would you dare to see what had slipped down the back of the seat cushions?
hippo, May 12 2002
  

       Totally brilliant! You sure this is your first post? You might want to keep the driver isolated from the rest of the party, for safety's sake.   

       I suppose you'd then have 'Bus Steward(esse)s;' they could be flunkie, striking, or retired airline stewardesses that would serve drinks, pass out peanuts, make sure cellphones were off during departure and arrival, demonstrate seat flotation, etc.   

       Those long, charter bus trips just became more entertaining. I'd really hate to be the clean-up crew, though. Come to think of it, you might want a different bus altogether for breakfast duty.   

       'Whassh fer shupper, honey?' 'You took the bus home again, didn't you?'
RayfordSteele, May 12 2002
  

       just to show what an alcohol fuelled bunch we are this idea has not had a fishbone to it since its inception, and who am I to go against the common trend?
kaz, May 12 2002
  

       I don't even drink and I love it, just to get the drunks out from behind the wheel, for one.
RayfordSteele, May 12 2002
  

       It is *almost* baked by every bus I've ever taken to a football match.
mcscotland, May 12 2002
  

       Who fishboned? Why? How dare they! ;-)
ferret, May 12 2002
  

       In Helsinki, they have had a bar tram since 1995. Pictures at http://www.koff.net/docs/spora_sporakoff.asp
gson, May 13 2002
  

       I'm not voting for this unless there's a 3 drink maximum: enough to relax, not enough to get steaming. Being drunk on a bus is almost as bad as being next to a drunk on a bus.
calum, May 13 2002
  

       Although I like the concept, if your bus route is anything like mine, stephee, then I think that provision of toilet facilities might become a bit of an issue.
DrBob, May 13 2002
  

       Great now my "no-ones fishboned this idea" comment is irrelevant!
kaz, May 13 2002
  

       Croissant! If a central bar can't be fitted in, how about mounting barrels on the roof of the vehicle and pumping the booze through the handrails which usually travel the length of the bus? A tap on each vertical rail, with one of those clever 'one nozzle for several drinks' affairs they normally use for soft drinks.
Saveloy, May 13 2002
  

       [mymus] As far as I can see, the provision of public transport has long been a political issue, and personally I think we're doing quite well with the buses in London.   

       [Dr Bob] Just hang from the pole at the back and pee on the bonnet of the car behind.
stupop, May 13 2002
  

       That facility isn't available on the buses here, stopup.

kaz, think of your first anno as the starting contribution for the 'History of a Moment' idea.
DrBob, May 13 2002
  

       stupop, i agree buses getting better under the mayor. but i use them every day, & there certainly aint enough space for this great idea !
but trams coming in from further out, & going into the central areas could be designed with a bar in them.
mymus, May 15 2002
  

       If they had these in Hawaii, I could forsee a lot of the Sailors from Pearl Harbor just taking the "circle island tour" on their way home.   

       I also suppose that someone should make a snarky comment about how if you added music and booze, the busses would already have all the "atmosphere" (or is that the crowd) of the hippest night clubs.   

       There. Getting onto more practical matters, I forsee a lot more missed stops if this is put into practice. I propose adding those funky light-up coasters that are normally used at certain restaurants for calling you to your table.
ye_river_xiv, Jul 13 2007
  

       I wish I could have seen the illustration...
Spacecoyote, Oct 28 2008
  

       Me too, I was so disappointed when I clicked the link :(
MadnessInMyMethod, Oct 29 2008
  

       + yeah, but way to go!
xandram, Oct 29 2008
  

       You can't possibly imagine how many croissants I want to give this idea.
Joolin, Oct 20 2010
  

       First good idea of any no matter how many times I hit the (more) button, even passed my own idea. I wonder if you know just how many times I have wished myself on this bus waiting to be just the third to last group of cars to make it through A traffic light.
Zimmy, Nov 24 2010
  
      
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