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Guide

Transport Fever 3 Vehicle Unlock Dates

Vehicles can only be bought in their own years. Here is how that works, when each kind of transport becomes usable, and the official years for all 25 buses, with a picker that shows what you can buy in any year.

Last updated Game version: Release version (official manual bus table, last edited 2026-09-13)

The short answer

  • Vehicles unlock by year. Each one is for sale from its first year to its last, and the vehicle store shows those years. Outdated vehicles leave the store.
  • New games start between 1900 and 2020, in steps of 10 years. On day one the store holds the vehicles whose years include your start year: older ones that have ended are gone, and newer ones arrive on their own dates.
  • To keep old vehicles, turn on the built-in Vehicles: No End Year mod when you set up the game. It removes end years but does not unlock anything early.
  • Planes and helicopters come later: airfields from 1920, airports from 1950, heliports from 1950, and helipads from 1950.

Official bus list

Which buses can I buy in a given year?

Move the slider or pick one of the official start years. The list comes from the bus table in the official manual, the only vehicle table it has so far.

1900

In 1900, 2 buses can be bought. Next new bus: L'Obéissante in 1905.

  • Droshky1892–1915

    4 passengers · 17 km/h · 4 kW · 1 t · loading 2x

  • Stagecoach1896–1925

    6 passengers · 20 km/h · 8 kW · 1 t · loading 3x

All 25 buses on one timeline

9 of them have no end year in the manual, so once they appear they stay. The oldest bus that never leaves the store arrives in 1970.

  1. Droshky1892–1915
  2. Stagecoach1896–1925
  3. L'Obéissante1905–1935
  4. Postbus ET 131913–1945
  5. Daimler Deck Seat Car1919–1965
  6. Yellow Coach Model W1925–1970
  7. Mitsubishi Fuso B461932–1975
  8. Saurer Tüscher1939–1975
  9. Scania-Vabis H151945–1990
  10. AEC Routemaster1954–2000
  11. Citroën U55 Cityrama1956–1980
  12. GM New Look Fishbowl1959–2005
  13. Isuzu BU10P1963–2010
  14. Shinjin Microbusfrom 1970
  15. Mercedes-Benz O3031974–2010
  16. Beijing BK6701976–2010
  17. Mercedes-Benz O405 G1985–2020
  18. New Flyer D40from 1990
  19. Mercedes-Benz Citaro G1from 1997
  20. Irisbus Crossway LEfrom 2007
  21. Wright StreetCarfrom 2008
  22. Zuhai GTQfrom 2017
  23. Mercedes-Benz eCitarofrom 2019
  24. Rampini Eltronfrom 2025
  25. King Long Merry Combofrom 2029
Each bar runs from the first to the last year the manual lists. A fading bar means the manual gives no end year. The pale band marks the years a new game can start in (1900–2020).

How we checked the bus table

The table lists years, power, top speed, weight, capacity and loading speed for each bus, but no units. The units here (kW, km/h, t) are the ones the in-game vehicle store shows. We compared 6 of the buses with gameplay videos, including Droshky, Stagecoach, and Postbus ET 13, and every number we could see matched. The manual page shows an "old revision" notice although its revision history lists no newer edit, and its introduction still describes Transport Fever 2. The September 28 date is when the page was moved, not when the bus figures were last checked by the developers. We use only the bus table, which matched every gameplay video we checked. The same manual page says land vehicles differ by region, but it does not say which bus belongs to which region. The manual only has a table for buses so far. Trains, trucks, trams, ships, planes and helicopters are not listed yet.

When each kind of transport becomes usable

Vehicles can only be bought in a depot, a shipyard or a hangar, so a vehicle type is usable once its building is. These are the years the manual gives:

  • From 1900: road depot (buy buses and trucks), tram depot (buy trams), train depot (buy locomotives, wagons and multiple units), and shipyard (buy ships).
  • From 1920: airfield (small planes only).
  • From 1950: airport (all planes; helicopters can use it too), heliport (buy helicopters; the only place that sells them), and helipad (helicopter landing and take-off only).

Some large planes need an airport, while smaller ones can also use an airfield. Helicopters and cargo trams are new to the series. Helicopters can carry passengers and freight.

Keeping old vehicles, and reaching new ones sooner

Vehicles: No End Year. This mod ships with the game. Vehicles you can buy lose their end year: once a vehicle becomes available, it stays available. It does not unlock anything early: each vehicle still appears in its first year. Turn it on in the mods tab when you set up a new game. For an existing save, the icon on its card in Load Game opens its settings and mod list, but you can only change them if that save allows it.

A later start year. On day one the store holds the vehicles whose years include the start year, so a later start skips the early vehicles. Vehicles that ended before that year are gone, and newer ones still arrive on their own dates. In a 2020 game, the latest possible start, 7 buses are for sale on day one, and Rampini Eltron only arrives in 2025.

Sandbox Mode. Also built in. Among other things it can set the in-game calendar to any date, and the store follows the in-game year.

Before you turn on a mod: the manual says achievements are generally unavailable while non-cosmetic mods are active or when gameplay settings differ from the standard values. The game has 41 achievements in total.

Why vehicle prices differ from game to game

Do not be surprised if a video shows a different price for the same bus. What you pay to buy and run a vehicle depends on two settings, Vehicle Costs and Vehicle Maintenance. Both sit in the Finances section of the gameplay settings, and choosing a difficulty sets them to that difficulty's preset values. Inflation only lowers cargo and passenger income, in proportion to the company rank. It does not change vehicle prices. That is why this page lists no prices.

How many vehicles are in Transport Fever 3?

Official sources do not agree: over 270 models (the vehicle trailer news on the official website), 275+ vehicles (the Steam store page), and more than 300 vehicles (the editions page on the official website). We do not pick one. The Deluxe Edition adds 6 vehicles: Concorde, London Bus, Trans-Europe Express, Peterbilt 359, Hong Kong Tram, and Sikorsky S-76 Spirit.

Why the game starts in 1900

Some players asked for an earlier start. On the official website, UG Sam from Urban Games explained the choice in a reply on November 4, 2025: Development focused on the start year most players already used, so more time could go into later years and the buildings that belong to them. Older trains and ships are the trade-off.

Frequently asked questions

Are vehicles unlocked by year in Transport Fever 3?

Yes. Every vehicle can only be bought between its first and last available year, and the vehicle store shows those years for each vehicle. Once a vehicle is outdated it leaves the store, so only part of the fleet is for sale at any time.

Which buses are available in 1900?

The official manual lists 2 buses for 1900, the earliest start year: Droshky (1892–1915) and Stagecoach (1896–1925). The next one, L'Obéissante, arrives in 1905.

How do I stop vehicles from becoming obsolete?

Turn on the built-in Vehicles: No End Year mod in the mods tab when you set up a new game. Vehicles then stay in the store once they have appeared. The manual adds that achievements are generally unavailable while non-cosmetic mods are active.

Can I start earlier than 1900 or unlock every vehicle at once?

Not with the standard settings. New games start between 1900 and 2020, in steps of 10 years, and the manual describes no option that unlocks every vehicle at once. The built-in Sandbox Mode mod can set the in-game calendar to any date, and which vehicles are for sale follows the in-game year.

When can I build airports and buy helicopters?

Airfields, which only take small planes, become available in 1920. Airports, which take every plane and helicopters too, arrive in 1950, together with heliports and helipads. Helicopters can only be bought at a heliport.

Why do vehicle prices differ from what I see in videos?

Purchase prices and running costs depend on the Vehicle Costs and Vehicle Maintenance settings, which change with the difficulty you choose. Inflation does not change vehicle prices; it only lowers income as your company rank rises.

How many vehicles does Transport Fever 3 have?

Official sources give three different numbers: over 270 models (the vehicle trailer news on the official website), 275+ vehicles (the Steam store page), and more than 300 vehicles (the editions page on the official website). The Deluxe Edition adds 6 vehicles: Concorde, London Bus, Trans-Europe Express, Peterbilt 359, Hong Kong Tram, and Sikorsky S-76 Spirit.

Related tools

Buses carry passengers; trucks, trains, ships, planes and the new cargo trams move freight. To plan what that freight should be, use the production chain planner or look up any industry in Industries and Cargo Types.

Sources

All game facts on this page come from the official Transport Fever 3 manual, the official website and the Steam store page:

Checked on October 5, 2026. Seen something different in game? Let us know.