[5] As with the band's first release, Distant Plastic Trees, Susan Anway sings lead vocals on The Wayward Bus.

The Wayward Bus is the last album featuring Anway, as she left the band to move interstate;[6] Stephin Merritt subsequently assumed vocal duties.

The Wayward Bus is unlike Distant Plastic Trees in this regard; the earlier album was synthesiser-based, and this synthesised instrumentation was performed exclusively by Merritt.

"[9] The front cover was painted by Wendy Smith, the girlfriend of Stuart Moxham from Young Marble Giants,[10] and the title of the album is taken from the John Steinbeck novel The Wayward Bus.

[citation needed] In 1994, The Wayward Bus was released by Merge Records in a compilation with Distant Plastic Trees.