Battle bus

In the United Kingdom, a battle bus is a luxury coach shared by reporters, political commentators and a politician, usually a party leader, to give them all access to each other as they traverse the country making speeches and other engagements during a general election campaign. In theory, the mutual advantage is that journalists get close access to politicians, and politicians can convey their message more directly to those reporting them.^[1]

They are a type of campaign bus.

History

Battle buses were first seen in the late 1970s. Before that, reporters followed party leaders in separate cars.^[1] The battle bus was a significant feature of the 1987 UK general election as David Owen and David Steel of the SDP-Liberal Alliance each crisscrossed the country in matching battle buses,^[2] each painted bright yellow.^[3]

By 1992, the journalistic trail had become airborne with the introduction of the battle plane.^[1]

See also

• List of buses

References

This election-related article is a stub. You can help Wikipedia by expanding it.v · d · e