City Bus Manager

About

City Bus Manager is a single player casual strategy game with business and kids themes. It was developed by PeDePe GbR and was released on June 25, 2024. It received very positive reviews from players.

In City Bus Manager, you become a bus company manager, tasked with creating efficient routes, managing finances, and ensuring passenger satisfaction. Customize your bus fleet, hire drivers, and adapt to challenges such as traffic and fluctuating demand. Experience detailed city environments and grow your transport empire in this engaging simulation game.

Genres & Tags

Play Modes

Single-Player

Skip User Reviews

91%

Audience ScoreBased on 995 reviews

gameplay14 positive mentions

story7 negative mentions

The game allows players to create and manage their own bus company in real-world locations, providing a unique and immersive experience.
The modding community is active, offering a variety of custom buses and liveries, enhancing the gameplay experience.
The developers are responsive to community feedback, regularly updating the game and addressing bugs.

The game suffers from performance issues, particularly when managing a large fleet, leading to lag and crashes.
Micromanagement can become tedious, requiring players to manually assign tasks to buses and staff, which detracts from the overall enjoyment.
The game's pricing is considered high for the current content and features, leading to concerns about its value.

gameplay
79 mentions Positive Neutral Negative
18%
77%
5%
The gameplay of the city bus management game has received mixed reviews, with players appreciating the core mechanics of route planning and depot management but criticizing the repetitive and shallow nature of the gameplay. Many users feel that the game lacks depth, with unrealistic passenger dynamics and an overwhelming focus on micromanagement, which detracts from the overall experience. While some find the casual and easy-to-grasp mechanics enjoyable, others express a desire for more features and variety to enhance engagement and reduce tedium.
- “You must hire drivers, mechanics, and cleaners, assign work shifts, plan maintenance schedules, and ensure vehicles remain in good condition.”
- “The mechanics of building and managing your bus depot adds a fun layer of base building which isn't typically found within this genre.”
- “The gameplay is very close to those office tycoon games (startup tycoon, game dev tycoon, etc.), but with fewer gameplay elements, and missing important quality of life features, especially to deal with bad RNG results.”
- “There's no difference in rhythms between residential, industrial, or commercial areas; the passenger numbers are utterly unrealistic for the areas I'm passing through, and the gameplay is based on painting the map with bus stop coverage rather than actually intelligently serving passenger rhythms and needs.”
- “The actual route planning gameplay is quite lackluster.”
- “It's clear that a lot of time has gone into developing the depot features of the game, but harsh as it may be, I think this was the wrong focus for a game of this type as the game is promoted as 'create and run your own bus network', while the gameplay feels like it's 'build your own bus depot and micromanage your employees, their planning, and the bus maintenance'.”
graphics
57 mentions Positive Neutral Negative
14%
79%
7%
The graphics of the game receive mixed reviews, with some players appreciating the clean and functional aesthetic that prioritizes readability and real-world map integration, while others criticize the simplistic and sometimes cartoonish visuals. Many users express a desire for improved graphics and realism, noting issues like graphical errors and performance drops, yet some find the visuals sufficient for a management simulation. Overall, the graphics are seen as a work in progress, with potential for enhancement as the game develops.
- “Excellent graphics.”
- “The graphics have a cherry feel and it's aesthetically pleasing to look at the bus depot when the player isn't burying their face in the map.”
- “This game is approachable with a fun art style and an interesting map system that uses fairly accurate maps!”
- “The graphic aspect is really embarrassing; buses that overlap in the depot, people move like robots, etc. They should have added some element of more realism.”
- “The graphics and textures lean toward being rather simple; the price of the game would make most people believe that there was more ambition in this area, but I think it may be punching slightly above its weight.”
- “The price it commands gives you the impression of a AA-rated game, but this isn't that; the graphics are just so-so and also has a so-so playing experience.”
story
30 mentions Positive Neutral Negative
7%
70%
23%
The game's story aspect is largely criticized for its lack of depth and engagement, with many users noting that it feels non-existent or poorly integrated into gameplay. While some players find initial missions intriguing, they quickly lose interest due to repetitive tasks and a lack of meaningful narrative context. Overall, the story fails to provide a compelling framework for the gameplay experience.
- “I really like the fact that you constantly get smaller quests or tasks.”
- “For me, it's intriguing to complete the first 20-25 missions, but I lose interest when the mission requires selling 47k tickets.”
- “It demanded I schedule a special service into places like the middle of the zoo just because there were roads there, without noticing there's no link between the outside roads and the tram roads inside the zoo, making the quest impossible.”
- “So you plot down a route of about 20 bus stops with little to no regard to what you're doing or why.”
- “More creative missions that require actual interaction from the player should be included here.”
optimization
28 mentions Positive Neutral Negative
25%
64%
11%
The game's optimization has received significant criticism, particularly on Unix-based systems, with users reporting severe performance drops as they expand their operations, even with high RAM and SSD usage. While some players note improvements following updates, many still experience high memory usage and long load times, which detracts from the overall enjoyment. Overall, the game shows potential but requires further optimization to enhance gameplay experience.
- “I really hope this game gets optimized, because it's a very fun and enjoyable game to play.”
- “Rest assured, the team is pretty quick at responding to issues and fixing them, and they've just released a beta with significantly better performance and loading times.”
- “After several updates, the game performance significantly increases.”
- “However, this quickly changes with the significant game performance drops that take hold very quickly after you've made a couple of routes.”
- “I have given this game every ounce of patience and time, yet nothing significant is made regarding the performance issues.”
- “Another disappointing factor of this game is the optimization; currently, I have nearly 100 routes and over 100 buses and employees (keep in mind I have 32 GB of RAM) and I'm using around 92 percent, most likely causing the random crashes.”
grinding
27 mentions Positive Neutral Negative
7%
30%
63%
The grinding aspect of the game is frequently described as tedious and repetitive, particularly in the late game where micromanagement becomes overwhelming. While some players find enjoyment in the early stages and appreciate the game's simulation elements, many feel that the lack of optimization and creative options leads to a grind that can feel like a chore. Overall, the game may appeal to transport enthusiasts, but casual players might find the experience too laborious.
- “Normally I love simulator/management games, but this is not grinding my gears.”
- “A bit grindy sometimes.”
- “You'll need a second life for grinding.”
- “The longer a company operates, the more tedious and repetitive the game becomes as it expands.”
- “I suspected I would love this, but this quickly becomes tedious and unoptimized.”
stability
13 mentions Positive Neutral Negative
15%
85%
The game's stability is a mixed bag; while it is relatively bug-free for an early access title, players report frequent glitches, crashes, and clunky mechanics that can hinder gameplay. Some users experienced significant issues, such as loading failures, while others noted that performance improved with lower settings. Overall, the game is considered buggy, and potential players should be prepared for these issues, especially if they lack patience for technical difficulties.
- “For an early access game, it is very bug free.”
- “I was gifted this game and was unable to play it; it would not load after multiple attempts at troubleshooting.”
- “Well, this game is buggy, crashes, and because of how it works, it can become downright unplayable...and it's not cheap at all!”
- “Very buggy right now.”
replayability
8 mentions Positive Neutral Negative
25%
37%
38%
Overall, the game's replayability is seen as a mixed bag; while some players find it enjoyable and worth revisiting, others feel that after the initial playthrough, it becomes tedious and lacks depth. Suggestions for improvement include adding advanced tools and features to enhance the late-game experience and encourage multiple playthroughs.
- “It's so fun and it has so much replayability.”
- “ replay value ★★★★☆”
- “Replayability is a bit lacking though; after your first full playthrough, it can be hard and tedious to start a new game. However, it can probably be done after waiting a few weeks before coming back.”
- “Some users may also wish for more advanced tools or layers, such as traffic simulations or competitive rival companies, which would deepen the late-game challenge and increase replayability.”
- “Just not sure about replayability.”
humor
5 mentions Positive Neutral Negative
100%
The game is widely regarded as humorous, with players finding it particularly funny once they grasp the mechanics. Many enjoy the comedic elements of causing chaos and inconveniencing others, contributing to its overall appeal as a funny management game.
- “It's a good and funny game; once you know how it works, it's even more fun.”
- “Very funny game.”
- “I can inconvenience so many people, and that is incredibly funny.”
monetization
4 mentions Positive Neutral Negative
100%
The monetization of the game is criticized for feeling exploitative, with a high initial price that doesn't align with the game's indie status and simplistic graphics. While players appreciate the gameplay, they perceive the monetization strategy as a cash grab, particularly given the game's focus on depot simulation rather than the advertised features.
- “Well, it's an enjoyable game; a lot of gameplay could be put into it, but it feels cash grabby in the way that the starting price is way too much for a small indie tycoon game with low poly models of non-licensed buses.”
- “It's really mostly a depot sim game, not that the advertising makes it look that way.”
- “Lol, dang cash grabbers.”
music
3 mentions Positive Neutral Negative
67%
67%
The music in the game is generally praised for effectively setting the mood, although some players find it annoying and may prefer to mute it. Overall, while the music enhances the atmosphere, it may not appeal to everyone.
- “The music is a perfect mood setter for the game, enhancing the overall atmosphere and experience.”
- “Some players might feel like muting the music and playing 'The Who' song 'Magic Bus' instead, but the game's soundtrack still adds a unique charm.”
- “The music is so annoying.”
- “That shallow depth unfortunately also extends to the depot customization: at your disposal are a handful of plants, 3 of the same armchair in different shades of grey, and a dozen or so miscellaneous room-specific bits and bobs like a music player, foosball table, coffee maker, or kitchen sink that your staff don't interact with.”
atmosphere
3 mentions Positive Neutral Negative
33%
100%
The atmosphere of the game is well-suited to its management and automated gameplay, with users noting that while the graphics are mediocre, they effectively complement the overall experience.
- “The detail fits the atmosphere rather well, creating an immersive experience that enhances gameplay.”
- “The graphics are mediocre; while I don't think a management game needs top-tier visuals, the overall atmosphere feels lacking.”
- “The environment feels empty and uninspired, which detracts from the overall experience.”
- “There is a distinct lack of immersion; the atmosphere fails to draw me into the game world.”
emotional
2 mentions Positive Neutral Negative
100%
Players find the game emotionally intense, highlighting the heart-wrenching challenges and high-stakes moments that evoke strong feelings. Additionally, the personal connection to the developers, who are brothers, adds a layer of warmth and support for the game's success.
- “The painstaking, heart-breaking, blood pressure-inducing crashes ultimately drove me to the very end of this game.”
- “The fact that the game is being developed by three brothers in their newly formed business, which is cool by the way, made me feel good about buying this game.”