A stagecoach is a four-wheeled, horse-drawn public transport vehicle historically used to carry paying passengers and light packages over long distances that required changing horses at designated stations called stages. Typically drawn by four horses, some versions used six, and the vehicle was strongly sprung for passenger comfort. The stagecoach traveled on established routes with scheduled stops to replace tired horses, a practice known as staging. It was commonly used before the advent of steam-powered rail transport, especially in 17th to 19th century Britain and the United States

. Stagecoaches were often guarded by an armed messenger riding "shotgun," hence the origin of that phrase. They were an essential means of travel and mail delivery, linking cities and towns, and were associated with coaching inns and the culture of the era. The vehicle was enclosed, with seats on the roof or sides, and was a symbol frequently depicted in literature and film, especially in the American West

. In modern times, "Stagecoach" can also refer to a major UK bus operator or to the Stagecoach Festival, a large annual country music festival in California, but historically and primarily, it denotes the horse-drawn transport coach described above