About the PBM

What is the Pacific Bus Museum?

Just about everyone has ridden a bus at one point in their life, whether to school, work, to visit a relative or on a tour. The Pacific Bus Museum, an active organization of “bus enthusiasts” based in Northern California, is dedicated to honoring the history of this unique form of transportation.

Our bus collection comprises over 20 coaches, both transit (city) and intercity (over-the-road) types encompassing eras from the 1930s on up to modern times and is focused on, but not limited to, California and the western United States. (See our Equipment Roster) Many come from bus systems that no longer exist. Our collection also includes bus artifacts and memorabilia.

Where is the Pacific Bus Museum?

Our museum is located at 37974 Shinn St. in Fremont, California. There are over 15 restored and operational coaches at this location. Our non-operational buses are stored in Williams, California.

The museum’s Fremont , California location where visitors can view our bus collection is open for visitors from 10 AM to 2 PM on the first and third Saturdays
of each month. We are located at 37974 Shinn St. in Fremont . Visitors will be given an approximately 1 hour tour of the buses by a knowledgeable museum docent. We ask a donation of $5.00 per person for the tour. We welcome groups of 10 or more for private tours on dates other than the first Saturday of the month. Contact us to reserve a specific date.

The Pacific Bus Museum is also a “rolling” museum. We welcome invitations to events in Northern California where our buses can be displayed. Our operational coaches are driven by licensed volunteer members to various events where the public can view them. These volunteers provide information about the museum and its buses. Our vintage buses are also available for film/video work.

What are the Pacific Bus Museum’s activities?

In addition to vintage bus displays the Pacific Bus Museum sponsors periodic historic bus excursions where the routes and history of a particular bus system are retraced, usually aboard a vintage bus. The museum schedules regular “work parties” throughout the year to actively restore and maintain our coaches. Members who participate in these efforts get “hands on” experience on maintaining and restoring the museum’s buses. They also enjoy opportunities to operate the museum’s buses to various transportation related events such as parades, displays and bus rodeos.

A volunteer staff publishes “THE PADDLE”, the Pacific Bus Museum’s bi-monthly newsletter for its members that reports on museum activities along with pictures and feature articles on buses.

What are the Pacific Bus Museum’s goals?

Our mission is the preservation, restoration and operation of historic buses and the acquisition and collection of bus artifacts and memorabilia for the education, appreciation and enjoyment of the membership and the public. Our aim is to preserve yesterday for tomorrow.

Our vision is to become an operating bus museum and to have a permanent site to display its buses and bus memorabilia. To achieve this vision the museum has established a building fund to acquire property in Northern California for a permanent home. Help us build a permanent home by contributing to the museum’s building fund.

The Pacific Bus Museum is a non-profit, tax exempt, volunteer organization registered in the state of California. We were granted tax-exempt status as a non-profit corporation by the IRS under 501 (c) 3 of the Internal Revenue Code Tax ID # 1683391. Donations to the Pacific Bus Museum are tax deductible to the extent allowed by law.

PBM Board of Directors Members

What is the history of the Pacific Bus Museum?

The Pacific Bus Museum can trace its inception back to the 1980s with the formation of a loosely knit group of bus enthusiasts in southern California who created the West Coast Motor Coach Society. The Pacific Bus Museum was founded in 1989 as a successor to the West Coast Motor Coach Society.

PBM History