The official denomination for a motor driven omnibus in Germany is Kraftomnibus (KOM). The name omnibus might have its origin in an advertising slogan of the French businessman Omnes (“Omnes omnibus”) from 1825, which was then taken over and used by vehicle owner Baudry.
Omnibuses are mostly driven by diesel or gas engines, an alternative use of hydrogen powered engines is currently in a testing phase. Omnibuses are equipped with rear engines (except minibuses) and are rear-wheel driven. Compared with trucks, omnibuses are less heavy, so they mostly are sufficient with a six-speed manual transmission. It mostly has automatic clutch or a force supported gear change. However, more and more coaches are provided with fully automated transmissions. In public service vehicles, fully automated transmission is completely enforced already, most of all for more accommodation for passengers and the bus driver.
The official denomination denotes vehicles with a passenger capaity of more than eight people (without the driver) as omnibus or Kraftomnibus. To drive an omnibus, a particular driver license is necessary. By a unified regulation, valid in the whole European Union (EU), driver licenses for buses are denoted with the letter “D”. So driver license category “D1″ is valid for passenger capacity up to 16 people, with category “D1E” you can additionaly have a trailer with up to 750 kg. Driver License category “DE” qualifies for any omnibus with random passenger capacity plus a trailer of up to 750 kg.
Since 2007 there is a new speed ruling for omnibuses in Germany. New approved buses may have a high speed of 100 kilometers per hour, while the old ruling of 80 km/h is only still valid for very few older omnibus models. Omnibuses are used in 3 different main transportation areas. These are:
- Long-distance public transportation
- Tourist traffic, and
- Short-range public transportation.