Yellow school bus faces new reality nationwide

Across the United States, the school bus is defined by 'school bus yellow,' a color chosen in 1939 by transportation officials from 48 states for visibility, not by Congress. At its peak in the 1980s, yellow buses carried more than 60% of US students to school. The buses originated in rural America when Georgia car dealer Albert Luce developed a metal vehicle for cement workers and then marketed it to schools. The yellow bus's rise coincided with district consolidations that stretched travel distances and, decades later, helped desegregate schools by transporting children of different races, though segregation has endured in many districts. Over time, safety features such as padded seats and stop-signs became standard, cementing the bus as one of the safest forms of road transportation per passenger mile. Noting the ongoing evolution of school transportation, the articles trace a history from rural roots to a national symbol facing new realities.