Samoa’s public transport buses are unique Samoan cultural icons and should be treated as such, says a Danish national who has been travelling to the country over the past six years.

Danish citizen Sigurd Brun told the Samoa Observer that the colourful buses are historically significant but are also cultural icons as their design and artwork make them unique only to Samoa.

"I think Samoan buses have their own subculture," he said. "The bus drivers seem to have their own language as far as buses go. 

“If you look at the artwork and design of the buses, as a foreigner, it is quite unique.”

The Asco Motors Sales and Marketing Manager, Lipa Vaoga, expressed similar sentiments about the buses and revealed that the addition of the wooden interior is done by the tufuga faipasi who are skilled in building.

"The style of the buses are home made, the tamali'i or tufugas who build the buses are few,” he told the Samoa Observer. “But they have stuck to the design for years.” 

Mr Vaoga also talked about the type of buses that the company has brought into Samoa over the years.

"The company has stopped bringing in the DA buses since 2001, they are the buses that just come in with the cabin chisel so the local builders would build the rest of the buses, which is what makes our wooden buses unique.”

The design of the buses’ interior was also made to be suitable for the hot temperature of Samoa, according to the Asco Motors Manager.

"It seems the builders have designed it to fit our warm temperature so you walk into an open bus,” he said. “The windows are half screened so you can still look out in the open as buses take a journey around the island. 

“I think that is why the simple design is attractive to tourists.”

Tina De Suza of New Zealand, who has been travelling to Samoa for over a decade, told the Samoa Observer that she and her husband always liked getting on the buses because it was an adventure for them.

"For us it's an adventure, it's so quirky and funny to see people sitting on each other's knees," she said. "Also very funny the way it waits for ages then goes around picking people up, then back to the depot, waits some more and then off you go.”

The buses’ onboard entertainment courtesy of loud boom box speakers also thrilled Ms Suza, who said the music together with the cargo brought on by local residents, which often included sacks of rice and chicken made the journey all the more exciting.