‘Iconic’: Buses join in on the Christmas spirit

Step aside Vixen and Blitzen and all the reindeers, Santa is coming to town by bus this year.

A lucky passenger’s commute was transformed into an unforgettable magical ride after boarding a rare Christmas bus.

The Instagrammer Chelsea, from Sydney, shared her unique experience by posting a video of her festive trip.

The bus can be seen covered in tinsel of various colours, with baubles and bells decorating the interior of the bus.

To top it off the bus driver was Santa himself — who said he needs 12 reindeers to get around?

The bus is full of decorations inside. Picture: @chels_eatravel/Instagram

Two Christmas trees were spotted inside the bus. Picture: @chels_eatravel/Instagram

“On the naughty list for sure,” Chelsea captioned alongside the video.

A statue of a reindeer can be seen at the very front of the bus, with various stickers and “Merry Christmas” posters.

Of course no Christmas is complete without a Christmas tree and this bus had not one, but two trees fully decorated with several presents waiting to be opened.

Many people took to comments to express their joy over seeing such an unusual bus.

“I have never seen this! Soo damn cute,” a person wrote.

“Omg I didn't know they did this, this is so wholesome!!!” wrote another.

A third shared: “I LOVE THE CHRISTMAS BUS!! Legit so iconic.”

“I got a Christmas bus the other day and it was the best trip ever,” a man shared.

Australian bus and coach operator Busways has launched their yearly bus decoration tradition, with specially decorated buses in NSW and South Australia.

Christmas buses can be seen all across Sydney. Picture: Busways

“If you happen to hop on a Busways bus this December, you may just be so lucky to board one of our 34 spectacularly decorated Christmas buses traversing around NSW,” Busways Head of Service Delivery for Greater Sydney Steven Hawkins said.

“Each year, the Christmas buses bring good cheer to everyone – from our employees who love decorating and driving the buses, to our customers have a blast riding on them.”

Busways depots dress up the buses in Christmas spirit, bringing joy to passengers, but also raising funds for charity.

“We’ve had a tradition of decorating Christmas buses for over 30 years — this is strongly driven by our depot teams who also run a fundraising drive for charities over December,” Mr Hawkins said.

“We encourage our customers to get into the holiday spirit of giving by scanning to the QR code on board the bus and making a donation.”

Busways have launched their yearly tradition. Picture: Busways

This year’s donations across all of Busways NSW Christmas buses are going towards purchasing lifesaving equipment to support families and their babies at Westmead Hospital’s NICU.

“To be able to raise funds for families who are going through a tough time, allows us to make a positive impact in our community,” Mr Hawkins said

“Last year collectively, our Christmas bus fundraising efforts raised more than $6,750 thanks to donations from staff, customers and the Busways dollar matching.”

SA Christmas buses are collectively raising funds for Guide Dogs SA/NT, with all donations going towards supporting Labrador puppies on their journey to become Guide and Assistance Dogs for someone living with low vision, blindness, or other specialised needs.

The decorated Christmas buses will be around all through December.

“Enthusiastic customers are able to check if their bus is a Christmas decorated bus by using the Trip Planner App, which will show a Christmas tree Christmas tree symbol next to their route,” Mr Hawkins shared with commuters.