Motor Coaches and Charabancs

A history of motor coach design from the early days of open-top charabancs, to modern WiFi and built-in toilets.

The coach--distinguished from the bus by its use for longer-haul and more comfortable trips--has a long and august history. Its origins lie in the charabanc, a long open-topped vehicle used to transport passengers on works outings and pleasure excursions. Over time, coaches came to be enclosed and fitted with more comfortable seating and higher-quality bodywork than the charabancs and the buses used on shorter routes. By the 1960s and 1970s on-board toilets began to be fitted, and despite a decline due to private car ownership, coach travel remains popular, with WiFi, electric sockets and even video screens now built in. This colorful introduction explains the development of motor coach design and the main coach manufacturers, models and operators, offering a fascinating insight into the history of the nation's most popular vehicles.