The term "bustitution" is a neologism sometimes used to describe the practice of replacing train service, whether street railways (light rail or tram/streetcar systems) or full-size railway systems, with a bus service, either on a temporary or permanent basis. The word is a play on the word "substitution". A neologism is a word, term, or phrase which has been recently created (coined) — often to apply to new concepts, or to reshape older terms in newer language form. ... This article is about light rail systems in general. ... TW2000 car in Hanover Volkswagen Cargo-Tram in Dresden on a section of grassed track. ... An early motorized bus - a Benz truck modified by Netphener company (1895) A bus is a large automobile intended to carry numerous persons in addition to the driver and sometimes a conductor. ... In general, substitution is the replacement of one thing with another. ...

It has sometimes been used to describe the dismantling of the street railway systems of many cities in North America in the mid-20th century. The term is usually used in a somewhat derogatory sense and, when used, it usually means that a full conversion (rather than just a reduction) has taken place. Those who use this term tend to oppose the conversion and believe in the General Motors Streetcar Conspiracy — that powerful corporations with an interest in the ascendancy of the bus and automobile were largely responsible, rather than the change being made for economic reasons. Others believe that regardless of any conspiracy, the change was inevitable anyway. However, many cities that took apart streetcar lines have built new light rail lines in the succeeding decades. World map showing North America A satellite composite image of North America. ... (19th century - 20th century - 21st century - more centuries) Decades: 1900s 1910s 1920s 1930s 1940s 1950s 1960s 1970s 1980s 1990s As a means of recording the passage of time, the 20th century was that century which lasted from 1901–2000 in the sense of the Gregorian calendar (1900–1999 in the... The General Motors streetcar conspiracy refers to a contention that General Motors (GM), acting in conjunction with several other companies and through the National City Lines (NCL) holding company, illegally acquired many streetcar systems in various cities around the United States, dismantled and replaced them with buses for the express...

The term is in use in the United Kingdom to describe the replacement of full-sized train service by buses. Sometimes, in this case, the replacement is temporary and is caused by maintenance work or train failure. It is also used to describe the closing of lightly-used services and replacement by a bus service.

A similar concept in some ways is motorization, though that more broadly refers to the rise of the automobile as well as bus transportation. A small variety of cars, the most popular kind of automobile. ... This article or section does not cite its references or sources. ...

See also

• Thruway Motorcoach