The word originally referred to a vehicle that could carry many people simultaneously. Unlike a coach, an omnibus made frequent stops and each passenger paid the same fare.
"Omnibus" is often used in legal documents, such as an Omnibus Clause in a contract, and in governmental bills that include a collection of different items. The U.S. Omnibus Appropriations Act of 2009, for instance, covers spending for a long list of government agencies.
"Omnibus" is sometimes used in the title of a literary anthology, such as a collection of works that are written by the same author, or that fall into a certain genre, like mystery or science fiction.
TV and radio stations might use "omnibus" when they broadcast a program or series of programs that feature a collection of subjects. One example is the American TV show, "Omnibus," which ran in the 1950s.
A French businessman named Stanislas Baudry first used "omnibus" in 1826 to refer to a large carriage he invented to bring customers to his public baths outside the city of Nantes. The word was quickly shortened to "bus."