Plural of “bus”

The plural of bus is buses (some dictionaries also accept busses).

Why

"Bus" is a 19th-century clipping of "omnibus," itself Latin for "for all" — the dative plural of "omnis," everyone, describing the vehicle's original purpose of carrying the general public. Because "bus" ends in a single s preceded by a short vowel, English pluralizes it the same way it handles other short words ending that way, typically by adding -es. The first horse-drawn "omnibus" services began in Paris and London in the early 19th century, and English speakers clipped the Latin word down to "bus" almost immediately, favoring the shorter, punchier form for everyday conversation about the new public transportation.

"Busses" also appears as a spelling variant, particularly in older American usage, but it competes directly with the unrelated word "buss," an archaic term for a kiss, whose own plural is also "busses" — a coincidental overlap that has pushed most modern style guides and dictionaries toward preferring "buses" specifically to avoid that ambiguity.

Usage note

"Buses" is now the clearly preferred, standard spelling in both American and British usage. "Busses" still appears occasionally, especially in older texts or some regional American usage, but it risks visual confusion with the unrelated "kiss" sense of "buss" and is best avoided in careful writing.

"Omnibus" itself survives in English mostly in specialized, formal contexts today, describing a single volume collecting several works together ("an omnibus edition") or a piece of legislation covering many unrelated matters at once ("an omnibus bill"), both figurative extensions of the original "for everyone" sense rather than anything to do with the vehicle. Public transit agencies and school districts rely on "buses" constantly in scheduling, safety, and budget documents, a register where the word's plural form carries real logistical weight, from route planning to legally mandated safety inspections.

Common real mistakes

The main point of confusion is between "buses" and "busses" rather than any deeper grammatical issue; writers should simply default to "buses" as the safer, more universally recognized modern spelling. As a verb, "to bus" (meaning to transport by bus, or, separately, to clear dishes from a table) doubles its final consonant in the present participle, "bussing," a spelling detail unrelated to the noun's own plural but easy to conflate with it.

The wider pattern

"Bus" is a rare case of a word clipped from an already Latin plural form ("omnibus" was itself a dative plural), yet its English plural has nothing to do with that Latin history at all — it simply follows ordinary English spelling conventions for short words ending in a single consonant after a short vowel.

Examples

• Several buses were delayed by the morning traffic.
• The school added two new buses to its fleet this year.
• Passengers waited at the stop for the next available buses.
• City buses run on a reduced schedule during holidays.
• The tour included buses to each historic site along the route.
• Electric buses are gradually replacing older diesel models.
• Commuters rely on the buses that connect the suburbs to downtown.
• The company operates a fleet of long-distance buses.
• Overcrowded buses forced the transit authority to add more routes.
• Charter buses carried the team to the championship game.
• The transit agency retired its oldest buses this year.
• Parents waited at the corner for the school buses.
• The rental company offers buses for large group tours.
• The city added express buses along the busiest corridor.
• Volunteers organized buses to bring voters to the polls.
• The city tested electric buses on two pilot routes.
• Drivers inspected the buses before every morning shift.
• The museum arranged buses for the school field trip.
• The depot serviced dozens of buses each night.
• Commuter buses filled quickly during the morning rush.
• The fleet added hybrid buses to cut emissions.