Omnibuses have existed for the past 100 years, but only recently have become common in the Cities. They carry 30-40 passengers, are pulled by four horses and have high sides, usually painted gaudy colours. They are cheaper for passengers than hire-gigs, though are disadvantaged by having to follow set routes rather than making specific journeys. The real cause of their absence to date, however, has been the belligerent and often violent opposition of the hire-gig drivers, who see omnibuses as a direct threat to their trade. Omnibuses first appeared locally in the 1260's, part of an attempt by the stagecoach companies to hone in on the local market. Unfortunately, the hire-gig drivers were then so well-organised under the emergent Grasshoppers Society that they managed to change the law, prohibiting vehicles which carry more than six passengers to carry fares in the Cities. When the law was repealed in 1314, a none-too subtle campaign of intimidation began to deter prospective franchises. Munsic Coaches made a spirited attempt in the early 1320's to introduce a service, but gave up after a series of attacks on their drivers and concentrated on their stagecoaches and operations in Jolton.
However, a Zabric entrepreneur called Zaian Elcco has proved more durable. Establishing his Cities Carriages in 1323, operating from a depot in eastern Jalkin, he has operated with a mixture of efficiency and belligerence which has kept the hire-gigs at bay. In the early days, his drivers were all ex-caravan men who had been hardened by journeys through the wilder parts of Erenland and Flauge. All were equipped with coshes (which were occasionally also used on unruly passengers) and several have been known to carry crossbows under their seats. Zaian Elcco protected himself with both a large bodyguard and a small army of lawyers; the latter both fended off the various legal challenges thrown at him and safeguard him when his vigilantism gets out of hand. The most dramatic example of this came in 1329 when his offices were firebombed; a retaliatory attack on the Grasshoppers' trade association hall led to a sustained street battle in which two people were killed. Elcco was prosecuted for causing affray, but managed to beat the charges. Since then matters have calmed down a little, with the authorities making it clear to both the Grasshoppers and Cities Carriages that they are on their final warning; and the hire-gig drivers have largely accepted that omnibuses aren't necessarily going to drive them into starvation.
Cities Carriages have a fleet of twenty vehicles, all built in the Chalac Carriage Works. They make regular journeys along all the major thoroughfares. They have especially targeted the Forgar workshops, realising that many of their workers live in Jalkin. Several omnibuses run directly to the workshops in the morning and back again at night; a couple of workshops have recently gained exclusive rights to them and give seats for free to favoured workers. Apart from these, there are no real set timetables and no designated stopping places. People hail them if they see them heading in the right direction and the drivers stop if they have any seats left; though they only stop specially to drop passengers off at certain landmarks. The fare for any journey in the Cities is a har'silver. Cities Carriages also make less regular journeys to villages and towns around the Cities, though rarely venturing further than a twenty-thirty mile radius. Other omnibuses, which belong to the stagecoach companies, operate from greater distances and more regularly, bringing migrant workers to the Cities, but generally stop outside the gates. No-one has yet had the audacity to repeat Elcco's invasion. Indeed, Elcco's fierce reputation and his protectiveness of his monopoly has made the prospects for new omnibus companies bleaker than ever.