Also called Train vs Bus · Bus and Train · Train Crashes into Bus
A bus sits in front of an approaching train; the next frame shows it being swept aside. Label the plan or expectation and the force that overwhelms it.
The top panel sets up an unequal encounter. The lower panel delivers the result without needing another explanation.
Use the bus for something fragile, such as a schedule or a saved game, and the train for whatever overwhelms it. The joke is the mismatch in power.
Know Your Meme traces the screenshots to a train-and-bus video uploaded to YouTube by infinitefx on May 17, 2007. Edited GIF versions circulated before the object-labeling format. [1]
An October 9, 2019 Reddit post used labels to summarize a one-sided baseball game. A template posted to r/MemeEconomy in May 2020 was followed by further examples on Reddit and Tumblr. [1]
The upload provides the footage later used in GIFs and still-image memes. [1]
A Reddit post assigns the teams to the mismatched vehicles. [1]
A shared blank version is followed by new comparisons. [1]
Use the upper panel to identify both sides. Place the overwhelming force above the train on the left and the fragile plan on the bus to the right.
Leave the second panel clear so the impact supplies the punchline. Short labels make the relationship easier to read before the outcome.
Original captions to try with this template.
A small-sounding invitation overwhelms the plan to sleep early.
An unexpected expense sweeps aside the amount set aside.
Last-minute demands take over the time reserved for uninterrupted work.
References for this template. Example captions are original.
Documents the source upload and later GIF and object-labeling use.
