diff --git a/core/include/msg_bus.h b/core/include/msg_bus.h
index 2efdc94a2d..facb8c2550 100644
--- a/core/include/msg_bus.h
+++ b/core/include/msg_bus.h
@@ -50,6 +50,12 @@ typedef struct {
     kernel_pid_t pid;       /**< Subscriber PID */
 } msg_bus_entry_t;
 
+/**
+ * @brief Flag set on `sender_pid` of `msg_t` that indicates that
+ *        the message was sent over a bus.
+ */
+#define MSB_BUS_PID_FLAG    (1U << ((8 * sizeof(kernel_pid_t)) - 1))
+
 /**
  * @brief Initialize a message bus.
  *
@@ -68,30 +74,60 @@ void msg_bus_init(msg_bus_t *bus);
  * The `type` field of the`msg_t` also encodes the message bus ID,
  * so use this function to get the real 5 bit message type.
  *
+ * If the message was not sent over a bus, this will return the
+ * original message ID.
+ *
  * @param[in] msg           A message that was received over a bus
  *
  * @return                  The message type
  */
-static inline uint8_t msg_bus_get_type(const msg_t *msg)
+static inline uint16_t msg_bus_get_type(const msg_t *msg)
 {
-    return msg->type & 0x1F;
+    if (msg->sender_pid & MSB_BUS_PID_FLAG) {
+        return msg->type & 0x1F;
+    } else {
+        return msg->type;
+    }
 }
 
 /**
- * @brief Check if a message originates from a certain bus
+ * @brief Get the sender PID of a message bus message.
+ *
+ * The `sender_pid` field of the`msg_t` has a flag bit set
+ * to indicate the message was sent over a bus, thus it should
+ * not be used directly.
+ *
+ * @param[in] msg           A message that was received over a bus
+ *
+ * @return                  The sender pid
+ */
+static inline kernel_pid_t msg_bus_get_sender_pid(const msg_t *msg)
+{
+    return msg->sender_pid & ~MSB_BUS_PID_FLAG;
+}
+
+/**
+ * @brief Check if a message originates from a bus
  *
  * If a thread is attached to multiple buses, this function can be used
  * to determine if a message originated from a certain bus.
  *
- * @param[in] bus           The bus to check for
+ * @param[in] bus           The bus to check for, may be NULL
  * @param[in] msg           The received message
  *
  * @return                  True if the messages @p m was sent over @p bus
- *                          False otherwise.
+ *                          If @p bus is NULL, this function returns true
+ *                          if the message was sent over *any* bus.
+ *                          False if the messages @p m was a direct message
+ *                          or from a different bus.
  */
 static inline bool msg_is_from_bus(const msg_bus_t *bus, const msg_t *msg)
 {
-    return bus->id == (msg->type >> 5);
+    if (bus != NULL && (bus->id != (msg->type >> 5))) {
+        return false;
+    }
+
+    return msg->sender_pid & MSB_BUS_PID_FLAG;
 }
 
 /**
diff --git a/core/msg.c b/core/msg.c
index 2747c5b4bc..6c04a51b30 100644
--- a/core/msg.c
+++ b/core/msg.c
@@ -241,7 +241,8 @@ int msg_send_bus(msg_t *m, msg_bus_t *bus)
     const uint32_t event_mask = (1UL << (m->type & 0x1F));
     int count = 0;
 
-    m->sender_pid = in_irq ? KERNEL_PID_ISR : thread_getpid();
+    m->sender_pid = (in_irq ? KERNEL_PID_ISR : thread_getpid())
+                  | MSB_BUS_PID_FLAG;
 
     unsigned state = irq_disable();
 
diff --git a/tests/thread_msg_bus/main.c b/tests/thread_msg_bus/main.c
index 1a530fadee..c886525923 100644
--- a/tests/thread_msg_bus/main.c
+++ b/tests/thread_msg_bus/main.c
@@ -47,6 +47,7 @@ void *thread1(void *arg)
 
     /* check if the message came from the right bus */
     assert(msg_is_from_bus(arg, &msg));
+    assert(msg_bus_get_sender_pid(&msg) == p_main);
 
     printf("T1 recv: %s (type=%d)\n",
           (char*) msg.content.ptr, msg_bus_get_type(&msg));
@@ -70,6 +71,7 @@ void *thread2(void *arg)
 
     /* check if the message came from the right bus */
     assert(msg_is_from_bus(arg, &msg));
+    assert(msg_bus_get_sender_pid(&msg) == p_main);
 
     printf("T2 recv: %s (type=%d)\n",
           (char*) msg.content.ptr, msg_bus_get_type(&msg));
@@ -93,6 +95,7 @@ void *thread3(void *arg)
 
     /* check if the message came from the right bus */
     assert(msg_is_from_bus(arg, &msg));
+    assert(msg_bus_get_sender_pid(&msg) == p_main);
 
     printf("T3 recv: %s (type=%d)\n",
           (char*) msg.content.ptr, msg_bus_get_type(&msg));