Why the school bus is yellow
According to the American School Bus Council, 475,000 school buses transport more .than 25 million children to and from school, and travel approximately 5.7 billion miles annually.
There is no safer way to transport a child and without a doubt, school buses are inherently safer than passenger vehicles. They are visibly well marked and designed to specific standards that help avoid motor vehicle crashes and prevent serious injury. They absorb force better and their solid frame also helps prevent damage in a rollover. The color, flashing lights, and stop signal all help keep school buses safe.
Before buses, kids rode to school in horse-drawn “school wagons.” But early school buses were a hodgepodge of different styles and types of vehicles. There were no universal standards to follow. Most school buses were simply converted vehicles, such as old trucks, that were painted a different color and outfitted with basic seating.
The modern school bus design has remained virtually the same since a conference in 1939. The conference was held in New York City and helped to establish national standards for school bus design and safety. At the time, three million American children were transported to classes. Districts used a variety of vehicles, including trucks and, in one case in Kansas, horse-drawn wheat wagons. Manufacturers showed little interest in making school buses. Without nationwide standards it was not economical to mass-produce them.
Frank Cyr was a college professor at Columbia University who realized that from 1926 to 1938 the number of school buses increased 132%. After studying the situation, Dr. Cyr summoned educators and administrators to meet with automotive engineers at Teachers College. He started a group of transportation officials, educators, and school-bus manufacturers to develop a, “Minimum standards for school buses”
The result was 44 national standards for various parts of the vehicle, from the doors to its dimensions, including details such as length, aisle width, and the familiar yellow color still in use. The color yellow is the most visible color in all types of weather and lighting conditions. This is important because it helps to ensure that drivers can see school buses easily, even from a distance.
The vehicle designed to transport students has remained largely unchanged since that time.
Standardization solved two problems and revolutionized the school bus.
1 – A uniform one color made bus travel safer.
2- Cost to districts dropped as construction specifications made it possible for manufacturers to mass-produce buses.
Changes in recent years have included, crossing arms on the front bumpers, stop arms with flashing lights on the left hand side of the bus that is easily seen by approaching traffic, and strobe lights on the top of the bus. Excellent additions are wheelchair accessibility, emergency-exit windows, and the stop-sign arm. Cameras, GPS, Internet service, and battery powered buses are also entering into the market.
Most of the specifications have since changed, but one constant remains: the yellow color with black letters. A combination chosen to give buses maximum visibility.
