How to Beat Bus Fever Party Level 171
Level 171 comes in two layouts, and the waiting row tells them apart at once: seven grey spots next to the VIP spot, or four grey spots with three green ones. The first lot is wide, with short buses on the left and a column of three long buses at the right edge; the second is a tall tree topped by a crown of angled buses in the upper left corner. In both, you win by tapping only when the road is clear and the color is near the front of the queue.
Below are six screenshots for each layout and the places where runs usually stop. Neither lot has garages or dark buses, so the whole level is about timing and spot count.
| Layouts in the game | 2: a wide lot with a column of three long buses at the right edge, and a tall tree-shaped lot with a crown at the top left |
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| Buses at the start | about 40 in the wide lot, about 45 in the tree |
| Waiting spots | wide lot: VIP and 7 grey; tree: VIP, 4 grey, 3 green with a plus |
| Special elements | no garages and no dark buses in either layout |
| Boosters on screen | VIP, Arrange, Jumble |
Wide Lot or Tall Tree
Look at the row above the lot first. If the row shows VIP plus seven grey spots and nothing green, and the lot is wide, with a crowd of short buses on the left, long sideways buses along the top and a column of three upright long buses on the right edge, that is the classic layout, so start with the first walkthrough. If the waiting row shows four grey spots and three green ones with a plus, and the buses stand as a tall tree, topped by a loose crown on the upper left, with a trunk of upright and short buses in columns below it, that is the newer layout, so go to the second walkthrough.
The game serves both layouts, so two players on level 171 can end up with different lots. Colors of buses and passengers get mixed in every run as well, which is why the steps follow position and size.
A Wide Crowd on the Left
About 40 buses fill a wide lot. Short buses crowd the left side, small buses are mixed in the middle, and long buses lie sideways along the top and the bottom. At the right edge three long buses stand upright in a column, one above another, with a bus above them blocking the way up.
The waiting row is roomy: the VIP spot and seven grey spots, with no green extra spots. That is more room than most levels give, so the opening is relaxed. Other colors than in the screenshots may appear in your game, but taps follow position, so any colors work.
Wide Lot Step by Step
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Start at the outer edges. The long sideways buses along the top and the single buses on the left side point at open road. Tap those first. Three buses are parked after the first taps, with 8, 20 and 12 passengers.
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Loosen the middle. The cluster of small buses in the middle starts to open up. Four buses are parked now. Pick the short ones whose colors the queue is about to call, and leave the column at the right edge for later.
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Hold at a full row. Seven buses are parked and the row is full, with two long buses of 40 passengers each among them. Nothing else can park, so stop tapping and let the loaded buses drive off. Count before you tap in this layout, because the row can fill fast.
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Reopen the row. Four buses are parked after the loaded ones left. The pair at the lower left and the group in the middle are next, since their roads are open. The column of three at the right edge is still in place.
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Release the right column. The long buses at the right edge are gone and only about twenty buses remain. The row holds four buses, with 16, 20 and 12 passengers among them. Take the buses at the lower left and in the middle as their colors come up.
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Finish the small groups. About ten buses are left in a few small groups at the lower left and in the middle. Five buses are parked, with 16, 20, 24, 40 and 8 passengers. Send the groups from their open ends as the queue calls them.
The Tall Tree
About 45 buses make up a tall tree. A loose crown of buses at angles sits at the top left, and below it a trunk of upright and short buses stands in columns. This lot has no garages and no dark buses, so every bus is visible from the start; the difficulty is that the columns block each other from the top down.
On the tree, the VIP spot, four grey spots and three green extras are all the room there is for waiting buses. Parked buses in this layout carry 4, 12, 16, 24, 28 and 40 passengers, so the long ones will keep a grey spot busy for a while.
Tall Tree Step by Step
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Take the corner buses. Start with the buses on the outer corners that already point at open road, like the one leaving at the bottom left. At this point the row is still empty, which is the best moment to loosen the edges of the trunk.
Video solution for level 171
The video below follows the newer layout of level 171, the tall tree with four grey and three green spots, start to finish. Open it if your lot is the tall tree.
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Park the first two. Two buses are parked, with 10 and 16 passengers, and a third is on the way to the right end of the row. Choose short buses whose colors are at the head of the queue, and keep two spots in reserve.
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Open the trunk from the top. Three buses are parked, with 4, 12 and 24 passengers. The top of the middle columns is open, so take the topmost bus of each column. Each one you remove frees the bus below it.
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Watch the long buses. Three buses are parked, with 28, 24 and 12 passengers. The right side of the trunk is empty now, so the lot is lopsided. Long buses are slow to fill, so do not add another one until a spot opens.
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Drain the trunk. One bus with 40 passengers is parked and the row is nearly empty, so this is the time to clear a lot of buses. The trunk of columns is much shorter, with a few buses in the lower middle, and the crown on the upper left has not moved.
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Finish the crown. Only a few buses are left, mostly at the top: the remains of the crown on the upper left and a pair of upright buses below it. Several buses are on their way to the row at once. Send the crown buses last, as the queue calls their colors.
Where Level 171 Stalls
On the wide lot, the trap is the full row. Seven grey spots seem like more than you can use, but long buses with 40 passengers take two of them for a long stretch, and the short buses that come after them fill the rest. At one point in the run the row holds seven buses at once and nothing can move. Count the free spots before each tap and leave two of them open until the queue is calling the colors of the buses you hold. A full row calls for a pause: passengers keep boarding the parked buses, and a bus that hits zero drives off. When nothing fits, the Out of Spots window opens a cleared row or one more spot in return for coins or an ad, and it keeps a Restart link.
On the tall tree, the row is much shorter, with four grey spots, so the trap is tapping the columns too fast. Open each column from the top, one bus per color call, and save the crown on the upper left for last.
Frequently Asked Questions
Why does my level 171 look nothing like my friend's?
Level 171 is served in two layouts. One is a wide lot with a column of three long buses at the right edge and seven grey spots; the other is a tall tree-shaped lot with four grey and three green spots. The goal and the queue work the same in both.
How many waiting spots does level 171 have?
The answer depends on the lot. A wide lot gives you VIP and seven grey spots. The tall tree gives you VIP, four grey spots and, as extras, three green spots with a plus. Count them on your own screen and work out how many long buses can sit there together.
Are there garages or dark buses on level 171?
No, neither layout has garages or dark buses marked with a question mark. Every bus is visible from the start, and the challenge is that buses block each other in columns and groups. Free buses from the open ends first, and the rest of the lot loosens up one tap at a time.
Which buses should I send first on the tall tree?
The outer buses on the corners and the topmost bus of each column in the trunk. They have open road in front of them, and every one you remove frees the bus underneath. Leave the angled crown on the upper left for the final part of the run.
Can I beat level 171 without boosters?
Yes. Both lots can be cleared by tapping alone. VIP, Arrange and Jumble are found along the bottom of the screen, but the order of taps does the work: open ends first, long buses on cue, and at least one spot kept free for the next color.
Read next
Every solved stage is listed on the Bus Fever Party levels page, and the Bus Fever Party walkthrough home page explains the rules, boosters and waiting spots in one place.