We see buses every day, passing by on the streets or waiting at the stop.
Many of us even ride them daily.
But have you ever really paused to think… what exactly is a bus?
Bus Classification in Korea, 2001
Translated from Korean by AI
If you stopped someone on the street in 2001 and asked,
“So, what is a bus?”
the answer would probably be something simple, like:
“A vehicle that carries people.”
That’s true, of course — but not the whole picture.
After all, plenty of vehicles carry people:
private cars, airplanes, ships, and yes… even bicycles.
So what makes a bus a bus?
There’s one more thing to add: it carries many people at the same time.
And if we narrow it down to automobiles, we might say:
A bus is a motor vehicle designed to transport many passengers at once.
But here’s the tricky part — how many is “many”?
In Korea, a standard passenger car usually seats four,
while a van seats up to sixteen.
By those standards in 2001:
- A 25-seater was called a “minibus.”
- A 35-seater was a “medium-sized bus.”
- A 45-seater was a “large bus.”
Of course, this was based on the original, unmodified vehicle straight from the factory — no custom seats or special conversions here.
Vehicle Appearance
First, when it came to minibuses in 2001,
Kia Motors was producing the Combi, while Hyundai Motor Company had the County on the market.
Medium-size Buses
In 2001, Korea’s medium-size buses included the Cosmos from Kia Motors, the Aero Town from Hyundai Motor Company, and the Royal Midi from Daewoo Motor.
Daewoo’s BM090 (Royal Midi) was also available for various applications.
Large Buses
There were many more options in the large-bus category.
Kia Motors offered the AM928 and the Granbird series. Hyundai Motor Company had the Aero series. Daewoo Motor produced the Royal series, and SsangYong Motor offered the Transtar series.
Depending on whether they were built for city service, intercity routes, or express service, the models could be further classified.
Let’s take a closer look.
KIA Motors
Granbird – In 2001, the Granbird lineup had five official models, plus one unofficial type.
From top to bottom, they were the SunShine, Blue Sky, Mild Breeze, Park Way, Green Field, and the unofficial City type.
Granbirds were also divided by interior floor height:
HD grade for SunShine, Blue Sky, and Mild Breeze;
SD II grade for Park Way;
and SD I grade for Green Field.
All Granbird models shared the same frame design, so you couldn’t tell a SunShine from a Green Field just by looking at the exterior. The difference came from the interior floor height and other options.
After the Granbird launched, most AM models were discontinued, and only the AM928 remained in production.
You could think of it as a more affordable, entry-level large bus compared to the Granbird.
Hyundai Motor Company
Hyundai’s most iconic bus was the Aero City (officially AeroCity 540 L/SL), commonly used as a city bus.
Around the turn of the millennium, it was rebranded as the “Super Aero City,” dropping the “540” in the name.
The L and SL designations related to interior floor height:
L was used for intercity or express seating versions. SL indicated a lower version of L.
When sold for private use, it was simply called “Aero City.”
For premium coach service, Hyundai offered the Aero Space, Aero Express, and Aero Queen.
Aero Space came in LD and LS variants, while Aero Express had LDX and HSX versions.
DAEWOO Motor
For city use, Daewoo offered the BS106 (Royal City), with both standard and 2 step low-floor types.
The Royal City range could be configured for different purposes:
city bus, seated commuter, intercity, direct, or private coach service.
for seated commuter services - the BH115H (Royal Express),
BH115E (Royal Economy),
BH116(Royal Luxury)
BH117H(Royal Cruistar)
BH120F(Royal Cruiser)
SsangYong Motor
By 2001, SsangYong’s Transtar series was no longer in production,
but it had been offered in four versions: S, P, V, and H.
Developed in technical partnership with Mercedes-Benz,
Transtar set new standards for comfort and quietness in Korean buses when it debuted.
It used Mercedes engines — the OM401LA and OM441A —
featuring Mercedes’ COTV technology,
a kind of auxiliary brake system providing strong engine braking.
All large buses and trucks from SsangYong at the time had this function.
The Transtar was also the only Korean bus with a rear spoiler, improving stability at high speeds. However, because of the Mercedes licensing costs, SsangYong reportedly lost money on each unit sold, which contributed to its discontinuation.
