The Knight Bus is a triple-decker, purple bus that assists stranded individuals of the Wizarding community through public transportation. The bus is not visible to Muggles. It operates at a very fast speed and obstacles will jump out of its way. To hail the bus, a witch or wizard must stick their wand hand in the air in the same manner that a Muggle might do to hail a taxi. The Knight Bus is run by Stan Shunpike, who greets passengers and handles baggage. It is driven by Ernie Prang.
The Knight Bus.
Inside, during the night, the Knight Bus has beds, curtained windows, candles burning in brackets beside each bed, and 13 sickles buys a cup of hot chocolate, while 15 gets a hot water bottle and a toothbrush in any color. During the day, there are just seats that are apparently not bolted down. The bus does not seem to have much in the way of safety features, as passengers and luggage alike are being thrown around the inside of the bus during its haphazard maneuvers.
In 1993, Harry Potter stumbled across the Knight Bus after leaving 4 Privet Drive following the inadvertent inflation of his Aunt Marge. The Knight Bus was seen once again in 1996 when Harry, Ron, and Hermione travelled back to Hogwarts from 12 Grimmauld Place after the winter holiday.
The "head" of the bus.
Etymology
The Knight Bus is possibly named after London's Night Bus, which operates a reduced service in the early morning hours when the London Underground is closed.
Behind the scenes
- Since Apparation would be a faster and more practical way of transportation, the Knight Bus may be used for those who can't use Apparation or Portkeys, and therefore need the bus, and may even be accessible to Squibs.
- In the film version of Harry Potter and the Prisoner of Azkaban, a talking Shrunken Head with a Caribbean accent was hung from the rear-view mirror.
- In the book, items appear to jump away to avoid collision. In the film, the bus just swerves around or squeezes past (or through) obstacles, and in terms of the latter, the driver is shown throwing a switch that causes the bus to contract.
- In the book, Harry identifies himself to Shunpike as "Neville Longbottom". In the film, he calls himself "The Leaky Cauldron".
- One notable feature of the film version of the Knight Bus is the large chandelier hanging from the ceiling.
- Two buses were made for the film: one for the exterior shots and one for interior shots.