BusTalk

[Q65A]

The latest issue of Motor Coach Age features the history of trailers as buses, written by Eli Bail.
Designed to carry maximum passenger loads as efficiently as possible, trailer buses (as opposed to arrticulated buses) never became popular.
While there are many reasons for this (as laid out very well by author Bail), one of the main reasons involved safety: having passengers physically isolated from the operator is a risky proposition. Another issue is comfort. Trailer buses, with few exceptions, were designed to seat large numbers of seated passengers and standees: one such trailer bus reportedly could carry 250 people!!! Perhaps not surprisingly, trailer buses had their heyday during World War II for transportation of large numbers of defense workers. One area where trailer buses still thrive is sightseeing sevice at certain national parks. It is perhaps surprising to learn that Orion built a trailer bus (Orion model 04.502) to be towed behind an Orion model 04.501. Such an arrangement has been used at Niagara Falls ON for several years.
Some trailer buses were drawn by truck tractors, some by automobiles, and others by standard transit buses. Today, otside of sightseeing service, trailer buses are no longer regarded as viable choices.
Bail's article is very well written, describing a lost piece of bus history.
The full article ahould still be available from MBS.

[traildriver]

I believe that there are some currently, or at least recently in use in some 'third world' countries, where safety is not of the first importance.

I think I saw a photo somewhere of one in Saudi Arabia that could transport well over a hundred oil field workers.