Bus Simulator 18
Whether in the industrial or harbour zone, downtown, in the surrounding villages or the business park, in Bus Simulator 18, you experience up-close the exciting everyday life of a bus driver in a vast and freely drivable urban area. Get behind the wheel of your 8 original licensed city buses from the great brands of Mercedes-Benz, Setra, MAN, and IVECO and transport your passengers safely and punctually to their destinations, either solo in single player mode, or with friends in real-time multiplayer mode. As a bus driver in the 12 different districts, you’ll face the challenges of the traffic in a big city and everything that entails. Don’t be deterred by freak weather conditions, potholes, traffic jams, fare evaders, accidents, construction sites, night driving and specific passenger requests. On the contrary, take full control of your bus, earn money, gain a good reputation owing to your safe and punctual driving style and enjoy almost limitless driving pleasure in the authentic urban locations. Use the thousands of miles of virtual roads and streets to gain new districts, new buses and new customisation options.
Steam User 3
A solid casual bus simulator game with a really realistic driving system.
It includes a really light company/human resource management system, decent but really limited.
The traffic/driving IA is overall outstanding but the passengers IA is decent tho a bit buggy (for ex the way the passengers always walk to the back side of your bus and then walk to the front)
The game comes with a story mode which is fine but many of those missions, especially the latest ones, are kinda boring and are meant to artificially increase the game's lengh ("create 10 routes that use 90% of your network, drive each route in loop mode, assign 5 ACE drivers to each route")
The worst missions are the time limited ones ("complete that route in less than xx minutes"), you basically have to use the smallest bus available, disable the ticket machine, run couple of red lights and drive like a GTA maniac in order to achieve them. Not a huge problem but expect the game to get repetitive and quite frustrating after a while.
but the worst thing in this game are the passengers: they are mostly old people rambling about the weather and other stuffs, which gets boring after couple hours, thankfully you can turn the dialog sound off.
time to complete the story: 25-40 hours.
I overall recommend it, for its realistic driving.
Just make sure you turn the dialog sound off!
Steam User 3
Overall, it's a good simulator, BUT:
- The AI drives strangely and often stops at intersections.
- The city center is chaotic... Cars driving in circles and causing traffic jams.
- The AI often ignores traffic regulations.
- Penalties seem inconsistent. Brush against a curb? 40k fine. Full collision with a car? 1200€?
- Map design issues: flying objects, mountains blocking roads, poorly designed curves.
- The UI for assigning employees and buses is terrible, especially with long lists requiring endless scrolling.
But aside from these issues, it's okay-ish.
Steam User 2
Love simulators game and this one does not disappoint. Pretty fun driving a bus around.
Steam User 3
You can pick this up really cheap, I would recommend the newer game (21) but this is a lot of fun, so much depth.
The map is massive, you can throw together as many routes as you like and own your own bus company
One of my favourites
Steam User 9
As a real life bus driver, I love the game BUT I hate the paying system. Where I live, us bus drivers don't have to take any payments, it's all digital.
I would've loved if there were any Dutch, Belgian or Spanish bus brands to drive with as I'm more familiar with them. Glad there is an Iveco Crossway, though.
Steam User 1
"Driving Buses and Herding Cats—Welcome to Bus Simulator 18!"
Ignore my 7.7 hours on this account to where I'm finally dropping in a review! - it is part of my STEAM family games bag and on another account I've played this game to death, much to my wife's dismay... She's a 'STEAM-Games-WIDOW' thanks to games like this! - I love it. (It's probably more like 700 hours than 7.7 TBH)!
I've been in many YTers Streams as a guest driver in MP over the years!
This game may be getting old now, but it is certainly 'StillAlive' although I've moved onto their later game I still play this from time to time. I think the Dev's should use this excellent game as a loss-leader and bundle it in a two and four pack variant so that you can cheaply buy a game that all the family can enjoy or that new YouTuber's can play and donate to help grow their channel and bring new players into this game.
If you've ever dreamed of being the captain of a diesel-powered chariot while managing the most "interesting" crowd of passengers imaginable, Bus Simulator 18 is your ticket to ride. This game nails the feel of driving some seriously sleek buses from big names like Mercedes-Benz, MAN, and IVECO, all while throwing in a dash of chaos with passenger antics.
The driving mechanics are solid—smooth, immersive, and just tricky enough to make you feel like you're really earning your paycheck. Navigating through bustling urban streets and scenic countryside is a treat, especially with the dynamic weather and day-night cycle. But let’s be honest: the passengers steal the show.
First, there are the fare dodgers. You know, the ones who think they’re sneaky as they shuffle past you with a smug grin. But catching them feels oddly satisfying—almost like playing a mini-game of “Bus Cop.” Then there’s the drunk guy trying to board at 9 a.m., mumbling something about “missing the last bus to Mars.” You’ll also encounter the “DJ of Doom,” blasting music loud enough to rattle the windows while the rest of the passengers give you the universal “DO SOMETHING!” look.
And don’t forget the constant complaints. Someone will gripe about the bus being early, another about it being late, and someone else because—well, why not? It’s like running a daycare, except the toddlers are full-sized adults with no mute button.
Beyond the hilarity, the game offers a surprising depth of management features. Planning routes, expanding your fleet, and even deciding on ad placements for your buses adds a strategic twist. Multiplayer mode is the cherry on top, letting you and your friends create a transport empire while laughing at each other’s driving skills (or lack thereof).
Sure, the game had a few potholes—some bugs and a repetitive grind here and there—but they’re nothing that ruin the ride. The developers are always actively patching things, so it’s only getting better.
So, whether you’re here for the realism, the strategy, or just to laugh at the chaotic circus that is public transportation, Bus Simulator 18 is worth every penny. Buckle up—it’s going to be a bumpy, and ridiculously fun, ride!
Cheers (don't drink and drive though)!
Daddaeus! (I'm not your Daddy, drive the bus all day and all night for me, I don't care)!
P.S. Because I know you will ask...
The phrase "herding cats" is a common metaphor for managing something chaotic or unruly, and it seemed like the perfect fit to describe the hilarity of dealing with the quirky passengers in Bus Simulator 18.
Happy gaming and good luck with those fare dodgers!
Steam User 1
I really like bus simulator 2018, it is very good, it has really good graphics, I have nothing to say and I recommend it to other players if they are passionate about simulators and racing and like to explore different streets and see what life is like as a bus driver, the game is very good