Thank You Bus Driver is all the 'Crazy' minus the 'Taxi'

The first game to release under the Double Fine Action Labs label has the type of chaos that made a certain Sega series feel timeless.

Not much time has passed since Double Fine got out from under Xbox's thumb. With a new freedom comes a newfound zeal, as the team is wasting no time on pushing the indie scene forward. Last week, the studio established Double Fine Action Labs, a new label that focuses on smaller-scale projects with short development times. The first game under that label was already on display at PAX West, so I hit the showfloor shortly after doors opened on Sunday to give it a first look. I'm glad I did, because Thank You Bus Driver has a certain chaotic flavor that I've been aching for since the Dreamcast days.

As its name implies, Thank You Bus Driver is a game about working in the increasingly dangerous minefield that is public transportation. Players take on the role of a bus driver, whose main objective is to pick up passengers and get them where they need to go before time runs out. However, there's much more to it than that, as they must also be on the lookout for rulebreakers and unruly passengers and deal with them accordingly. What sounds simple quickly turns into a wild ride with no brakes.

While the town in Thank You Bus Driver is small and simple to navigate, remembering where you're going is part of the formula. In keeping with the idea of nerve-wracking multitasking, the map button pulls out a full-blown paper map, the kind that one would see before the days of iPhones and Google Maps, which shows the city layout and the driver's next destination. The map will purposely obstruct your view, so you'd better know what's in front of you before you pull it out.

Knowing where you're going is only one piece of the puzzle. As passengers board the bus, the driver will be informed of any new bus rules that must be obeyed. They can range from "No Phones," to "No Sleeping," to "No Stinking." If a passenger violates a rule and bothers those around them, there's a button for the driver to look behind them and address the offender, usually with a well-placed slap to the face. Repeat offenders can be picked up and hurled out of the back of the bus. The same is true of fare skippers, who do occasionally try and sneak aboard unnoticed. Whether these ne'er-do-wells are thrown out while the bus is moving is up to you — they're probably fine. It's important to keep the rules enforced, because unsatisfactory ratings from passengers will reflect poorly on you.

All of this adds up to fast-paced mayhem. Picture yourself driving a bus at full speed while pulling out a map to see where you're going, while also turning around to slap anybody breaking the rules. Hey, somebody's breaking the rules again! Better throw them out! Eyes on the road! The proceedings get even wilder as more obstacles, like garbage trucks picking up bags of garbage on the side of the road, are introduced.

What helps set Thank You Bus Driver apart from other games like it is an almost whimsical black-and-white art style. The world is drawn out like something out of a sketchbook, a style that extends all the way to the anthropomorphic animal passengers that board the bus. It's something that appears aimed at a younger audience on the surface, but the challenge level suggests something aimed at those hungry for a driving challenge.

As noted earlier, Double Fine Action Labs games are intended to have short development times. As such, Thank You Bus Driver is almost ready to leave the station. Look for it to release on PC on Wednesday, October 14.

This preview is based on a PC demo played on the PAX 2026 showfloor. The final product is subject to change.

Sign up for our monthly roundup of exclusive content, top stories, and updates from Shacknews - once a month, no spam.

Shacknews staff does not use generative artificial intelligence (AI) in their content. Shacknews strictly prohibits the use of its content for AI training or to generate text, including text in the style or format used for this publication. Shacknews reserves all rights to this work.