Description:
In the early days, the only way most children could get to school was by walking. Halfway through the 19th century, that began to change with the introduction of “kid hacks.” These were horse-drawn carriages designed to carry children to school. They were primitive and didn’t have much protection from the elements, but they marked the beginning of the history of school buses.
The first “horseless” school bus was produced by Wayne Works in 1914. Five years later, the use of school buses was funded in all 48 US states. Buses went through a number of innovations in the next twenty years or so. By the 1930s, the design had pretty much settled to the style we know today. It was also around this time that “National School Bus Glossy Yellow” became the standard color for all school buses.
As the years passed, more safety features were added, making today’s school buses some of the safest vehicles on the roads. In fact, according to the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration and National Transportation Safety Board, riding a school bus is more than 70 times safer than riding in a regular car. That’s good news for the over 27 million American children who travel to and from school by bus every day!