To be cheek by jowl is to be positioned very close together, but in this sentence the buses and cars are positioned far away from each other.
Consider the staetement "He saw totally decrepit, brightly painted buses belching smoke and fumes positioned far away from hummers and BMWs.". Based on this statement, is "He saw totally decrepit, brightly painted buses belching smoke and fumes cheek by jowl with hummers and BMWs." a true statement? Yes/no/unknown