Battle bus (Zero Hour)

"You there! Come along with us."

- Battle Bus

The Battle Bus was a GLA innovation that appeared later in the war. It was a bus fitted with significant armor and could be occupied by GLA infantry. The infantry could fire out of the windows, making it a mobile bunker. Even after the Battle Bus's engine was destroyed the structure of the bus would remain intact allowing the GLA to use it as an stationary bunker. However note that once the bus has been destroyed once, all infantry units inside the said bus will have their health reduced to 50% and if the bus should be destroyed again and for the final time, all infantry units inside will be killed.

Base
"We will turn them into SOUP!"

- Battle Bus attacking an enemy

Note that any upgrades applicable to the infantry unit riding inside the battle bus still applied. The Battle Bus can also scavenge parts from enemy vehicles destroyed to improve its armor.

Salvage
"Hey, hey, hey! Be careful with the upholstry!"

- Battle Bus

The Battle Bus could benefit from armor plates salvaged off the battlefield. When upgraded once, its battered frame is noticeably patched up. The second improvement adds an intimidating ram to the front, further increasing the bus' durability.

Tactics/Counters
"YOU! OUT OF MY BUS!"

- Battle Bus, yelling at the passengers to evacuate

The effectiveness of the Battle Bus depended greatly on what infantry were inside of it. Potentially it was a lethal hit-and-run attacker with few counters, however, concentrated heavy weapons could take it down. They were also vulnerable to tanks if fully loaded with Rebels, or missile-armed infantry if all were RPG Troopers. (Although, the Bus could simply run infantry down in the latter case.)

Despite its heavy armor and lethal attacks when loaded out with Rocket Soldiers, it stood no chance against most fast-moving aircraft, as they would bomb the Battle Bus into oblivion and retreat before the rockets could even scratch them.

In spite of its lethality up close, it was very vulnerable to long ranged attacks. Nuke cannons in particular can easily eliminate one, killing its driver and passengers if it was armed with Neutron shells.

Its ability to gain a second life after its first health bar emptied made fighting a group of battle buses a very rough experience. If the battle buses were doing serious damage while mobile to any structures or units in the area, they are more than likely going to finish the job once they go into their bunker stage. A Sneak Attack followed by eight fully loaded battle buses can quickly eat a base from the inside out due to the immense amount of fire power each battle bus is capable of carrying. This tactic can be potentially costly if the opponent is cautious about his/her defenses inside their base, but can turn the tide of a battle in an instant if used properly.

Trivia

 * It is strikingly similar to Nod's Reckoner, with the exception that the Battle Bus cannot deploy into a bunker at will.
 * The Battle Bus of Stealth General was supposed to get the Disguise ability of the Bomb Truck, allowing it to disguise as any vehicle on the battlefield. It is only used by the duplicate Stealth General's Battle Bus, but since he never build the Battle Bus, you never get to see this ability.