Monday, February 16, 2009

The Pullman

The STP, or Società Trasporti Provinciale, translated as the Provincial Transportation Company, runs these big blue buses between towns in the province of Bari. This one has arrived at its destination, as you can see from the word MOLFETTA written across the digital display screen.

I've always wondered why the yellow in-town buses are called "autobus," but these town-to-town buses are called "pullman." George Pullman, the American inventor and industrialist, created the Pullman sleeping car and his company eventually also made trolleys...but these are plain old buses. Well, not so plain, I guess, they are a lovely blue!

3 comments:

VP said...

In Tuscany we use the same names, but old people still call the outside town bus "corriera". And "pullman" sometimes become "pullmino", if the bus is not full sized.

mouse (aka kimy) said...

curious name - maybe it's not named after george but because they pull men???

valeria said...

Vogon Poet has it just right!