The Knight Bus is a heavily enchanted purple, triple-decker bus which transports magical folk in the Harry Potter fiction novels by J. K. Rowling.
The bus functions as public transportation for the wizard or witch in need everywhere in England, Scotland and (presumably) Wales, bringing passengers to the destinations of their choice with seemingly no set route. It bolts through the streets, entirely invisible to Muggles and causing other objects to dodge it instead of the other way round, to cover short distances. For long ones, the Knight Bus makes 100-mile leaps accompanied by a great bang and jolt, possibly similar to Apparating. The interior of the bus changes or is changed depending on the time of day, with chairs by day and beds by night. Its only limit in travelling is that it's can't enter water.
The Knight Bus is generally used only by those who can't or won't choose other means of transportation. Most importantly, the jolts make travelling a severely uncomfortable experience. While the bus is lightning-fast by Muggle standards, still faster are near-instananeous Floo powder and Apparating. It also does charge for the service, if not heavily.
The conductor of the Knight Bus is a Stan Shunpike and its driver is Ernie Prang. The bus makes its debut along with its staff in the third book as Harry Potter unwittingly "hails" the Knight Bus by holding his wand out in front of him as he is standing on Privet Drive. Harry also rides on the Knight Bus with a number of his friends in Harry Potter and the Order of the Phoenix.
In the Harry Potter and the Prisoner of Azkaban film, Stan and Ernie are accompanied by a talking shrunken head voiced by Lenny Henry.
Stan Shunpike
Stan Shunpike is is the young counductor of the Knight Bus. He speaks with a tough Cockney accent, and speaks with Harry as he travels to London in the first part of Harry Potter and the Prisoner of Azkaban. He also appears briefly in Harry Potter and the Goblet of Fire at the Quidditch World Cup and again in Harry Potter and the Order of the Phoenix.
Ernie Prang
Ernie Prang is the driver of the Knight Bus. Ernie apparently doesn't speak very much and he has no lines in the film.
