Double Fine Productions is taking public transportation somewhere it has never been before: completely off the rails.
The studio has announced Thank You Bus Driver, a chaotic new bus-driving game that puts players behind the wheel of a town bus where following the rules, keeping passengers happy and actually reaching your destination are all part of the job. Of course, considering this is Double Fine, none of those things are quite as straightforward as they sound.
Coming to PC via Steam, GOG, Humble Store, and itch.io, Thank You Bus Driver does not yet have a release date. The game promises a deliberately ridiculous take on the driving genre, with players attempting to survive their daily routes while dealing with ever-changing regulations, impatient passengers and whatever obstacles happen to get in the way.
The basic idea is simple: get on the bus, pick up your passengers and make it to the next stop. The execution is considerably more chaotic.
Players are expected to keep their passengers under control while following a constantly shifting collection of rules handed down by the bus depot. Just when you think you’ve figured out how you’re supposed to operate your route, another rule can be introduced, potentially turning what was already a bizarre commute into an even bigger headache.
And when passengers decide they don’t want to cooperate, apparently diplomacy isn’t always the answer.
Thank You Bus Driver gives players the ability to slap troublesome passengers who break the rules, with repeat offenders facing an even more dramatic punishment: being ejected from the bus through the back door. It’s a ridiculous solution to a ridiculous problem, and the game appears to be embracing that absurdity wholeheartedly.
Keeping the bus moving is another matter entirely. Getting to each destination is the priority, but the route shown on the map is apparently more of a suggestion than an actual requirement. Players can pull up their map while making a turn, cut across fields and take shortcuts through the countryside if doing so means reaching the next stop faster.
The game isn’t particularly concerned with whether those shortcuts are sensible, either.
Pedestrians, traffic and even fences can all become obstacles, but avoiding every hazard isn’t necessarily the point. What matters most is getting your passengers where they need to go before they become too unhappy with the service.
That brings the third major priority into play: keeping to the schedule.
Every route comes with a time limit, and arriving at your next stop before the clock runs out is essential. Fortunately, satisfied passengers can help keep the clock on your side. Thank Yous from happy riders provide additional time, meaning players can effectively turn good passenger service into more opportunities to cause mayhem on the road.
The better you perform, the more Thank Yous you can collect, and those can be used to unlock additional bus decorations, new town variants and other rewards.
That gives Thank You Bus Driver a progression system built around becoming increasingly familiar with its strange rules and finding better ways to navigate each route. The goal isn’t simply to drive from point A to point B. It’s about figuring out how much chaos you can get away with while still technically doing your job.
That balance between following the rules and finding creative ways around them seems to be at the heart of the experience. One moment you could be carefully trying to stay on schedule, while the next you’re cutting across a cornfield because the normal route would take too long, all while dealing with a passenger who apparently needs to be reminded who is actually in charge of the bus.
Double Fine is promising a game where success comes from maintaining that delicate balance between order and absolute transportation-related nonsense. Players who manage to keep their passengers happy, reach their destinations on time and maintain control of their unruly riders could eventually become the greatest bus driver the town has ever seen.
Just don’t expect the journey to be a smooth one.
Thank You Bus Driver is currently in development for PC and will be available through Steam, GOG, Humble Store, and itch.io. Double Fine Productions has not announced a release date yet.