The History Of The School Bus

The history of the school bus is extensive. Quite frankly it is a long journey. The school bus that is seen today has not always been so big, sturdy and robust. I actually did not know students took a bus (or bus variant) to school as far back as 1852.

The recent edition of the Smithsonian Magazine profiled the history of the school bus, giving me a much more thorough understanding of how the bus we know today came to fruition. It was interesting that the bus started out as a horse drawn carriage. Compare that to the bus in the present day and the differences are obvious, making the two things seem almost entirely different.

When the first version of the bus was made, they were used predominantly by white children. When they were made more local and used there was still segregation and most black kids, if not all of them, did not ride the bus. The magazine also touches on the desegregation of school buses after Brown v. Board. Because segregated public schools were deemed unconstitutional, school buses became a major spot of integration for students and became a spot for diversity and inclusion. This is good in my eyes. The only thing that bothers me is that it did not happen sooner.

The bus back then seemed uncomfortable and inconvenient. I feel as if the horse drawn carriage bus was in the right place, as children deserve a safe way to school but in the end ultimately was less useful than, say, walking. The joltyness and bumpiness of the wagon could cause nausea.

I genuinely think that the creators of the horse wagon school buses should have realized that the seats and build of the wagon needed to be made suitable for children. The idea was good but the way they acted on it was probably out of a thought for profit and not out of a want to provide for the children in the best way possible.

The bus that is seen and known today is derived from the 1939 design and has remained much the same since then. That is why buses captured in pictures look like they have had the same design since 1939. I found that interesting. I had always wondered how long the bus had its current design.

Interestingly enough the color of the bus is unique and is a uniquely made color for school buses. The name of the color was dubbed “National School Bus Glossy Yellow” but is technically called “Color 13432”.

I think the history of the school bus is so deep and complex with tons of rich history. Something that started out as a horse drawn carriage turned into a yellow automotive machine that can hold dozens of children and provide a safe way to and from school.