Factual error: When Jack is under the bus, he manages to puncture the gas tank by sticking his screwdriver into it. There is no way a simple screwdriver could punch a hole in the solid metal tank, even if Jack took a forceful swing at it like he had when he lost his balance on the trolley.
Continuity mistake: When Howard Payne calls Jack in the bus and is saying he wants his money, etc, at the start of the next scene the bus can be seen with not only its front doors open, but the back doors are also open with a guy standing on the step in the doorway, even though the back doors haven't been opened yet. This shot is actually cut from the following scene, when Jack gets off the bus, the young guy from the bus stands in the doorway looking out at Jack leaving. (01:07:55)
Revealing mistake: In the scene where Jack has come back into the bus from being underneath it, he is talking to Annie about losing gas, if you watch closely he says "Mac" without pressing his button to call him first, then in another shot you see him press it when he starts talking to Mac. (01:15:50)
Continuity mistake: At the beginning of the movie after Jack has hooked up the crane from outside to the lift, there is a shot of the crane outside, and the line going through the vent. If you look closely there is a pipe in front of the vent, yet when the crane goes through the vent, the pipe has vanished. (00:14:20)
Continuity mistake: When Howard Payne is in the elevator, he hears Jack and Harry doing something from above, and he reaches for his bomb trigger. In slow motion when he's picking it up, it has two buttons on it, yet when Howard pushes one of the buttons, the device now has three. (00:13:00)
Continuity mistake: Near the end of the film when Keanu Reeves and Dennis Hopper are wrestling on top of the subway, if you watch Keanu's left wrist you notice he is wearing a watch. Yet throughout the scene it is obvious that the stunt double has no watch, because in the extreme action scenes, there are no signs of it anywhere on his wrist.
Continuity mistake: When the elevator free falls and the floor opens, all the shots from below, with or without the woman falling through the hole, show the elevator is empty. (00:13:50 - 00:13:55)
Visible crew/equipment: When Sam is shot in the shoulder it shows a camera shot from the side of the bus going into a wall. In this camera shot you can see the shadow of the camera. (00:40:15)
Revealing mistake: In the scene in the subway Denis Hopper has again used an explosive jacket like that used at the start of the film, which is detonated if the remote trigger is released. However when on the subway train, Denis takes the remote back from Sandra Bullock and it is seen that the trigger is quite obviously released and Denis pushes it back in.
Continuity mistake: Shortly before the bus gap you can see an END sign at the end of the road. This disappears a second later. (01:03:11 - 01:03:36)
Continuity mistake: When Jack tells the other cop to "turn it on" in reference to the money tracker, soon as they realize Payne has the money, and Jack runs out to the garbage can, the red car that screeches to a stop to avoid hitting him is a red Ford Tempo. In the very next shot from the opposite direction, it's a red Mazda Protege. (01:36:55)
Continuity mistake: When McMahon is in a helicopter trying to guide the bus from downtown traffic onto a vacant freeway, the bus passes through the same neighborhood twice from one overhead shot to the next, roughly one minute later (pay attention to the recurring trio of flagpoles on the right, as well as a pair of cars that the bus overtakes). (00:48:55 - 00:49:45)
Continuity mistake: When Jack is inspecting the bomb from a red trolley connected to a tow truck, a spool of cable unwinds and breaks free from its clamp, leaving Jack to fend for himself. Soon, McMahon and Norwood are riding alongside the bus trying to see if Jack is okay, but notice how the cable has reattached itself to the empty spool. (01:16:30 - 01:17:30)
Visible crew/equipment: A film truck with its crew and equipment is briefly visible in the reflection of a red van four shots after Jack directs Annie onto the shoulder (use pause to get a better look). (00:46:15)
Continuity mistake: The 2 SWAT team members are not visible on the preceding truck between two shots. (01:12:55 - 01:13:32)
Visible crew/equipment: After the bus exits the freeway, as it drives on the city's streets the forward looking street-level action camera is visible, mounted behind the tire. (00:49:05)
Continuity mistake: Right after the bus jumps the gap, Jack hugs Ortiz. Immediately following you can see the reflection of the stairwell at the front in the mirror. The stairwell and door are both fine, after having been blown off when Helen died. (01:07:00)
Visible crew/equipment: During the passenger transfers at LAX, a cameraman is visible through the bus doorway two shots before Annie glances over her right shoulder twice. (01:27:35)
Visible crew/equipment: When McMahon is giving Jack directions to the vacant 105 freeway, a well-dressed crew member wearing sunglasses and a big grin is visible sitting in the aisle of the bus. (00:49:50)
Continuity mistake: As Annie shouts at Sam and suggests he drive over the line of cars up ahead, the bus passes by a couple of bridges - visible through the side window where she and Helen are seated. But no bridges were visible anywhere at all when Sam first noticed the endless line of gridlocked traffic just seconds before. (00:33:55)
