The first bus, like the first taxicab, originated in Paris, when Blaise Pascal inaugurated a short-lived free bus service in 1662. Its popularity declined once a fare was charged, however, bringing public transportation to a halt. In 1827, Colonel Stanislas Baudry, another Frenchman, owned a bathhouse in the suburbs of Paris and needed to ferry his customers to and from the city. He realized if he adapted the long-distance stagecoach for shorter runs, he could improve his business. Baudry's coaches carried fifteen passengers and a conductor. In that same year Sir Goldsworthy Gurney (1793-1875), an Engish inventor, developed an 18-passenger carriage powered by a steam engine that could travel at 15 miles (24 km) per hour. Within four years he had other carriages running a 9-mile (14 km) suburban route around London. In 1829 George Shilibeer, a coach maker, established urban bus service in London with his 22-seat buses that were drawn by three...