A Brief History of the School Bus
Soon enough, school buses will be traveling around neighborhoods and stopping traffic to safely allow children to exit. But have you ever wondered how school buses came about and why they’re yellow? In fact, in the beginning, that yellow hue wasn’t the standard at all.
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Early beginnings
The history of the school bus can be traced as far back as 1886 when the Wayne Works company made horse-drawn carriages known as “school hacks” or “kid hacks” in Indiana. Before then, children simply walked or rode farm wagons to get to school. That remained the case for most even after 1886, as technology then didn’t spread nearly as fast as it does now.
By 1914, the automotive industry was beginning to boom, and Wayne Works saw a great opportunity to motorize its carriages. The design remained mostly the same as the previous versions, with students sitting along the walls of the bus while facing inward. Unfortunately, there was little protection from the weather.
Safety updates
In 1927, a Ford dealership owner named A. L. Luce built the first bus that primarily used steel panels. In 1930, Wayne Works introduced the first all-steel school bus body with safety glass windows. However, parents were still increasingly concerned for the safety of their children. This led to a turning point in the history of the school bus in 1939 when Dr. Frank Cyr organized a conference at the University of Manhattan to develop school bus standards.
A total of 44 new national standards were created, determining everything from interior dimensions to seating configurations to the famous yellow color that school buses sport today. The color was chosen because studies had shown yellow was the most eye-catching to human beings and because it was especially visible in the early morning and evening light when school buses usually operate. Though 35 states immediately switched to painting their buses yellow after the conference, it wasn’t until 1974 that the change had finally been implemented throughout the whole country.
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Since then, there have likely been hundreds or even thousands of design tweaks, innovations, and improvements made to the school bus. Fuel economy, safety, accessibility, maneuverability, and other important aspects have all been modified, revised, and improved. The most notable innovation among them is no doubt the mechanical stop signal arm that warns traffic of a stop in progress, which states began to require in the early 1950s.
The next time you think about driving around a stopped school bus (which is illegal), consider all of the hard work that was put into these machines that ultimately help keep children safe across the country.
Ben never thought he’d be writing about cars for a living, but here he is, knowing more about the Kia Stinger than he’d care to admit. When he’s not devoting his time to researching engine specs and other oh-so-exciting car details, he can be found enjoying time with his wife and dogs. See more articles by Ben.