The Big Yellow Bus
September 2nd, 2008 categories: Real Estate News, Spouse Stuff
Well, our holiday is over, and it’s time to get back to work. Ignore the fact that most us are employed 12 months out of the year. But, Labor Day’s goodbye isn’t the only indication that the school year’s about to begin. In case you’ve forgotten, we’ll be seeing those large yellow buses competing for road space as well!
Seems that as long as I can remember, the yellow school bus has been the primary means for most students to get to and from school each day. But, do you ever wonder where the yellow came from?
While the challenge of transporting students to school has been around as long as schools have, bus transport became popular in the early 1900s. Most of the early transport was required in order to pick up students who lived in rural areas where walking to school, due to the distance to school, was simply impractical. Development of the modern school bus took off in the 1930s and led to the design of those used today. National school bus construction standards were established at a 1939 conference led by Dr. Frank W. Cyr, of the Teachers College at Columbia University. Originally labeled as National School Bus Chrome, the color chosen for school buses later became known as National School Bus Glossy Yellow. Yellow was the chosen color because black lettering on the color was easiest to see in the early morning hours when buses where on the road.
The sight of the yellow school bus reminds us that its time to get back to work, specifically for students and those that teach them. It also reminds me how important it is to get and on the road a bit earlier in the morning. While I may appreciate the purpose of the yellow school bus, I’ll avoid them if at all possible. Fortunately, Stafford County publishes its bus routes. In Northern Virginia, traffic congestion is a challenge in and of itself, when school isn’t in session. Can you imagine what it is like when the buses are rolling?
