But it’s not all about getting to work or going to the shops. Buses are also important for tourists; and when it comes to election time, visiting politicians often arrive by battle bus .
This selection of old photos taken from the Evening News archive give a glimpse of life on the buses three decades ago.
There’s a vintage bus from the museum, a model bus built for charity, some old shots of the bus station and one or two crashes as well.
Scroll through and get a feel for some of the ways buses featured in the Capital’s life in the 1990s.
5. Roof ripped off
A double-decker bus has the top deck and roof ripped off by a bridge at Roseburn Street, Edinburgh, in October 1992. | TSPL Photo: Bill Henry
6. Benefit bus visits Sighthill
The Department of Social Security Benefit Bus visits the Sighthill area of Edinburgh in September 1992. | TSPL Photo: Colin McPherson
7. Bus station passengers
Passengers at St Andrew Square bus station, Edinburgh, September 1992. | TSPL Photo: Alistair Linford
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8. Child-friendly test
Evening News reporter Barbara Buchan took her baby daughter Isobel Buchan on a trip into town to see how 'child-friendly' Edinburgh's shops and public transport were in September 1991. Here, she struggles getting off a bus, with baby in one hand and pushchair in the other. | TSPL Photo: Jeff Mitchell