This morning’s Random Object from the Randomogrifier was a school bus. A bus seems simple, just a rectangle in perspective, but as always, the minute you say “this will be easy,” it turns into a challenge.
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We talked about the origins of school buses back in the 1850s when families needed a way to get children to class. Farmers and towns used wagons called “kid hacks” to haul kids since parents could not leave their fields or jobs. By 1939 the buses were painted that distinctive glossy yellow, chosen by Dr. Frank Cyr for visibility. Over the decades, safety features were added, including flashing lights and the flip-out stop signs that became standard in the 1980s.
Buses are not just practical, they’re cultural. Songs like “The Wheels on the Bus” stick in your head, and TV gave us bus drivers from The Simpsons to Ms. Frizzle and her magic ride. Movies from Forrest Gump to Ferris Bueller’s Day Off also put buses front and center. Alongside that lighter side is the heavier history of the 1960s and 70s when busing was a tool for desegregation and caused heated debate. Even now, kids may ride long distances because of district zoning and quotas rather than simply walking to the nearest school.
Today about 25 million American kids ride the school bus every day, making it the largest mass transit system in the country. Statistics say students are about seven times safer riding a bus than in a car, even though a few tragic accidents still happen each year. And while my generation rode without air conditioning, modern buses can have heating, cooling, alternative fuel systems, and even experimental autonomous driving. I may not be ready to trust Skynet with the morning drop-off, but there’s no denying the school bus keeps evolving while hauling kids and memories alike.
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Also, if you or a teacher friend are in need of a 20-30 minute lesson plan on school buses, feel free to download and share this one:
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