In the early days of the omnibus the roads were quite rough and bumpy. Most of the main roads were cobblestone, so you can just imagine how bumpy that was. And adding to that bumpy ride were the seats, they had no padding. A short ride was bearable, but a longer ride had to be very uncomfortable.
The price for a ticket was quite high as well. But for the newly formed middle class it was well worth the expense. They couldn't afford a private coach but they could afford a bus ticket. They no longer had to walk long distances in all kinds of weather, and they would get to where they were going alot quicker.
It was called the omnibus when it was first introduced and then it was shortened to the term "bus".
Soon enough they made improvements by adding rails to the already existing routes. Now the horses could pull the omnibus easier due to lower friction, and they could add three times more passengers. By the 1880's U.S. cities had over 30,000 miles of street rail tracks for horsecars (omnibus).
