Battle Bus

The Battle Bus is a gameplay mechanic in Fortnite: Battle Royale. It was introduced in the Pre-Season.

Description

The Battle Bus is an aerial vehicle in Battle Royale that transports players to the Island at the beginning of every match. It has a specific path which is randomized each game - that it follows over the Island to let players exit and land. This path is always a straight line. Once the Battle Bus has reached the end of its path, players who haven’t exited the Battle Bus will be immediately dropped from it.

Appearance

The default Battle Bus has a blue paint job with a large hot air balloon inflated by a blue flame under it, allowing the mobile vehicle to fly. One thing to note about the Battle Bus is it has wheel clamps without tires, rendering it immobile on the ground. It is very similar to Lars' Van in Save the World, and even includes a Bluglo funnel on the front.

Battle Bus Variations

As the Game has progressed, the Battle Bus has received updated visuals.

Original Bus (Season 1 - Season 4)
Updated version (Season 4 - Present)
Fortnitemares (Fortnitemares Events)
Festive (Christmas Events)
Birthday (v5.10, v9.40, v14.20, v18.00)
World Cup (Season 9)
Deadpool (v12.30 - v13.00)
Upgraded by Stark Industries (v14.30 - v15.00)
Naruto (v18.40 - v19.00)

Various Battle Bus Variations:

History

Pre-Season

Update v1.6: Introduced the Battle Bus alongside the launch of Battle Royale
- A Crashed Battle Bus could be seen on a mountain in between Shifty Shafts and Dusty Divot in Chapter 1. The balloon of this Battle Bus was deflated and also lost some of its color.

Season 5

Update v5.30: Players now have the ability to thank the Battle Bus Driver. Doing so displays a message in the Elimination Feed that states "[Player Name] has thanked the bus driver."

Season 6

Update v6.20: During Fortnitemares 2018, another Crashed Battle Bus could be seen, as a result of the Floating Island exploding. It could be found north of Loot Lake, and west of Lazy Links. The model of this Battle Bus is the same as the crashed one outside of Shifty Shafts. At the same time this Battle Bus was added, the old crashed Battle Bus was removed.

Season X

Update v10.40: A Battle Bus was sucked into the Black Hole along with everything else during The End Event.

Chapter 2: Season 2

Update v12.30: Deadpool redecorated the Battle Bus in Chapter 2: Season 2. This slowly started to lose color and ultimately returned to the original.

Chapter 2: Season 4

Update v14.30: Iron Man starts to redesign the Battle Bus, giving it upgraded features.
Update v14.40: Iron Man then fully redesigned the Battle Bus to be optimized for The Devourer of Worlds Live Event These used Gamma Cells to stay in the air, instead of a balloon - the first time the Battle Bus flew without a balloon. The Battle Bus returned to normal after the event.

Chapter 2: Season 6

The Battle Bus was briefly featured during the Zero Crisis Finale opening, as Agent Jones' ride to the Zero Point, until it was knocked away by a Reality Wave.

Gallery

Fortnite - Fortnitemares 2018 Announcement Trailer

Zero Crisis Story Cinematic for Fortnite Chapter 2 Season 6

Trivia

For each of Fortnite's Birthdays, the Battle Bus earns a decorated appearance featuring confetti, balloons and the number of its birthday.
The logo on the top of Battle Buses suggests that they are made by Vindertech.
Players can thank a Battle Bus driver by pressing the emote button or key while being inside a Battle Bus, when a players does so, it will show on the Elimination Feed. This was added due to a petition that asked for the ability to thank the Battle Bus Driver.
Thor calls the Battle Bus the "War Wagon" in The Devourer of Worlds Live Event.
The identity of the Battle Bus driver is unknown, but its hinted by Farmer Steel that may be an older individual, since he tells us to "respect our elders" in a quest to thank the bus driver.