--- title: "The school bus: A history of safety and innovation" description: The history of the school bus - its development, innovations, and safety image: https://intblog.onspot.com/hubfs/1955-school-bus-with-GMC-chassis-1000x667.jpg --- [![](https://www.onspot.com/imagevault/publishedmedia/ewjmu1x672ip2pj4oovu/Onspot_Logo.png)](https://www.onspot.com/en-US/) - [Why Onspot](https://www.onspot.com/en-US/why-onspot/) - Knowledge - [Overview](https://www.onspot.com/en-US/knowledge/overview/) - [Ways to increase traction](https://www.onspot.com/en-US/knowledge/ways-to-increase-traction/) - [For fleet managers](https://www.onspot.com/en-US/knowledge/for-fleet-managers/) - [For drivers](https://www.onspot.com/en-US/knowledge/for-drivers/) - [For mechanics](https://www.onspot.com/en-US/knowledge/for-mechanics/) - [Rules & regulations](https://www.onspot.com/en-US/knowledge/rules--regulations/) - [Knowledge Center](https://knowledge.onspot.com/en-us/knowledge-center-for-winter-driving-and-traction) - The product - [Overview](https://www.onspot.com/en-US/the-product/overview/) - [Testimonials](https://www.onspot.com/en-US/the-product/testimonials/) - [FAQ](https://www.onspot.com/en-US/the-product/faq/) - [Documents, manuals and brochures](https://www.onspot.com/en-US/the-product/documents-manuals-and-brochures/) - [How it works-videos](https://www.onspot.com/en-US/the-product/how-it-works/) - [Measuring forms](https://www.onspot.com/en-US/the-product/documents-manuals-and-brochures/sales-brochures2/) - About - [Overview](https://www.onspot.com/en-US/about-onspot---about-us/overview/) - [History](https://www.onspot.com/en-US/about-onspot---about-us/history/) - [News & Press releases](https://blog.onspot.com/news-press-releases) - [Regional Manager Contact](https://www.onspot.com/en-US/about-onspot---about-us/regional-manager-contact/) - Blog - [Blog articles](https://intblog.onspot.com/en-us) - [All about automatic tire chains](https://knowledge.onspot.com/en-us/all-about-automatic-tire-chains) - [Traction aids for heavy vehicles](https://knowledge.onspot.com/en-us/traction-aids-for-heavy-vehicles) - [Support](http://support.onspot.com/en-US/) - [E-Training](https://www.onspot.com/en-US/e-training/) - [North America](https://onspot.com/?s=false) - [Contact us](https://www.onspot.com/en-US/contact-us/) # The school bus: A history of safety and innovation Written by [Leonard D'Orlando](https://intblog.onspot.com/en-us/author/leonard-dorlando), December 2, 2021 The school season is in full swing which means for people living in the US and Canada school buses are running routes through neighborhoods taking kids to school in the early morning hours and safely returning them home again in the afternoon. Learn more here. The school bus is believed to be the safest form of “surface transportation” in the U.S. This is important seeing as over 26 million kids use them every year. We're all certainly accustomed to seeing the unmistakable yellow buses, but how did this standard in color come about and what are some other innovations in safety that have evolved over the years. **Where it all started** The history of the school bus can be traced as far back as 1886 when the Wayne Works company made horse-drawn carriages known as “school hacks” or “kid hacks” in Indiana. Before then, children simply walked or rode farm wagons to get to school. By 1914, the automotive industry was beginning to boom, and Wayne Works saw the opportunity to motorize these carriages. The design remained mostly the same as the previous versions, with students sitting along the walls of the bus while facing inward.  National safety standards created In 1930, Wayne Works introduced the first all-steel school bus body with safety glass windows. Even with this new more robust and protective structure there was still concern for the safety of the children. This led to a turning point in the history of the school bus in 1939 when Dr. Frank Cyr organized a conference at the University of Manhattan to develop school bus standards. A total of 44 new national standards were created, determining everything from interior dimensions to seating configurations to the famous yellow color that school buses sport today. The color was chosen because studies had shown yellow was the most eye-catching to human beings and because it was especially visible in the early morning and evening light when school buses usually operate.  Since then, there have been vast design tweaks, innovations, and improvements made to the school bus.  Today, alternative fuel sources are used to improve efficiency, there is better accessibility and maneuverability for all children, and other important safety features that go far beyond the mechanical stop signal arm are standard on today's school buses.   Onspot automatic tire chains The Onspot system is one such safety device that many school districts in cold weather climates rely on.  Weather is often unpredictable and what may start off as a nice morning can sometimes end up with snow or ice conditions being present by the afternoon.  Also for many school districts cancelling school is not always an option as they are faced with winter weather conditions the majority of the school year.  The added traction of the auto chains deployed by the driver with the flip of a switch help to provide safety and security.  To learn more about why school districts use the auto chain system click on the following link.    [![Why my school district chose Onspot](https://no-cache.hubspot.com/cta/default/1905643/659ac2bf-5afd-4fb7-96dd-616b9dee1090.png)](https://cta-redirect.hubspot.com/cta/redirect/1905643/659ac2bf-5afd-4fb7-96dd-616b9dee1090)   Learn more about traction aids for heavy vehicles in thes free resource: [Traction aids for heavy vehicles](https://knowledge.onspot.com/en-us/traction-aids-for-heavy-vehicles)   [Tips on driving a school bus in adverse conditions](https://intblog.onspot.com/en-us/topic/tips-on-driving-a-school-bus-in-adverse-conditions) [School bus driving](https://intblog.onspot.com/en-us/topic/school-bus-driving) [Slippery Roads](https://intblog.onspot.com/en-us/topic/slippery-roads) [automatic tire chains](https://intblog.onspot.com/en-us/topic/automatic-tire-chains) [icy conditions](https://intblog.onspot.com/en-us/topic/icy-conditions) [Improving performance on icy roads](https://intblog.onspot.com/en-us/topic/improving-performance-on-icy-roads) [driver safety](https://intblog.onspot.com/en-us/topic/driver-safety) [modern technology](https://intblog.onspot.com/en-us/topic/modern-technology) [school bus driver](https://intblog.onspot.com/en-us/topic/school-bus-driver) [School Bus Safety](https://intblog.onspot.com/en-us/topic/school-bus-safety) [tire chains](https://intblog.onspot.com/en-us/topic/tire-chains) [bus](https://intblog.onspot.com/en-us/topic/bus) [snow chains](https://intblog.onspot.com/en-us/topic/snow-chains) ![Leonard D'Orlando](https://intblog.onspot.com/hubfs/North_America/Authors/Len%2016-9.jpg) #### About [Leonard D'Orlando](https://intblog.onspot.com/en-us/author/leonard-dorlando) Leonard has six years with Onspot Automatic Tire Chains in North America. Four years as a field technician on the East Coast and two years as a Regional Sales Manager. During the four years as a field technician Leonard provided install and maintenance training to dealers. Leonard also performed fleet reviews for customers and provided technical service support. An alumnus from the University of Maine, Leonard graduated with a B.A. in English and a concentration in Education. Leonard also attended Texas State Technical College where he earned an associate’s degree in automotive mechanics. ## Comments ### Subscribe to blog updates ### Recent Posts ### Posts by Topic - [automatic tire chains (66)](https://intblog.onspot.com/en-us/tag/automatic-tire-chains) - [Commercial Driver (43)](https://intblog.onspot.com/en-us/tag/commercial-driver) - [Fleet Managers (38)](https://intblog.onspot.com/en-us/tag/fleet-managers) - [onspot (37)](https://intblog.onspot.com/en-us/tag/onspot) - [driver safety (29)](https://intblog.onspot.com/en-us/tag/driver-safety) - [Rescue Driving (28)](https://intblog.onspot.com/en-us/tag/rescue-driving) - [Rescue Vehicles (25)](https://intblog.onspot.com/en-us/tag/rescue-vehicles) - [Slippery Roads (24)](https://intblog.onspot.com/en-us/tag/slippery-roads) - [traction (24)](https://intblog.onspot.com/en-us/tag/traction) - [icy conditions (22)](https://intblog.onspot.com/en-us/tag/icy-conditions) - [School Bus Safety (21)](https://intblog.onspot.com/en-us/tag/school-bus-safety) - [Fleet Maintenance (20)](https://intblog.onspot.com/en-us/tag/fleet-maintenance) - [Fleet Productivity (20)](https://intblog.onspot.com/en-us/tag/fleet-productivity) - [Improving Fleet Productivity (20)](https://intblog.onspot.com/en-us/tag/improving-fleet-productivity) - [Improving performance on icy roads (20)](https://intblog.onspot.com/en-us/tag/improving-performance-on-icy-roads) - [Maintenance (20)](https://intblog.onspot.com/en-us/tag/maintenance) - [Automatic Snow Chains (18)](https://intblog.onspot.com/en-us/tag/automatic-snow-chains) - [For Mechanics (18)](https://intblog.onspot.com/en-us/tag/for-mechanics) - [Response Time (17)](https://intblog.onspot.com/en-us/tag/response-time) - [tire chains (17)](https://intblog.onspot.com/en-us/tag/tire-chains) - [Automatic Tire Chains and Alternatives (14)](https://intblog.onspot.com/en-us/tag/automatic-tire-chains-and-alternatives) - [Engineering (14)](https://intblog.onspot.com/en-us/tag/engineering) - [school bus driver (14)](https://intblog.onspot.com/en-us/tag/school-bus-driver) - [All about automatic tire chains (13)](https://intblog.onspot.com/en-us/tag/all-about-automatic-tire-chains) - [Application (13)](https://intblog.onspot.com/en-us/tag/application) - [Fire Truck (13)](https://intblog.onspot.com/en-us/tag/fire-truck) - [School bus driving (13)](https://intblog.onspot.com/en-us/tag/school-bus-driving) - [Traction aids for heavy vehicles (13)](https://intblog.onspot.com/en-us/tag/traction-aids-for-heavy-vehicles) - [Truck driver safety (13)](https://intblog.onspot.com/en-us/tag/truck-driver-safety) - [e-training (13)](https://intblog.onspot.com/en-us/tag/e-training) - [Commercial Drivers (12)](https://intblog.onspot.com/en-us/tag/commercial-drivers) - [Winter driving tips (12)](https://intblog.onspot.com/en-us/tag/winter-driving-tips) - [improve performance on slippery roads (12)](https://intblog.onspot.com/en-us/tag/improve-performance-on-slippery-roads) - [snow chains (12)](https://intblog.onspot.com/en-us/tag/snow-chains) - [Innovation (10)](https://intblog.onspot.com/en-us/tag/innovation) - [Snow chain (10)](https://intblog.onspot.com/en-us/tag/snow-chain) - [Delivery (9)](https://intblog.onspot.com/en-us/tag/delivery) - [Traction aid for heavy vehicles (9)](https://intblog.onspot.com/en-us/tag/traction-aid-for-heavy-vehicles) - [improving uptime (9)](https://intblog.onspot.com/en-us/tag/improving-uptime) - [Ambulance (8)](https://intblog.onspot.com/en-us/tag/ambulance) - [Automatic Tire Chains Explained (8)](https://intblog.onspot.com/en-us/tag/automatic-tire-chains-explained) - [Onspot service (7)](https://intblog.onspot.com/en-us/tag/onspot-service) - [Winter equipment (7)](https://intblog.onspot.com/en-us/tag/winter-equipment) - [Schedule (6)](https://intblog.onspot.com/en-us/tag/schedule) - [Response time – a challenge for the rescue driver (5)](https://intblog.onspot.com/en-us/tag/response-time-a-challenge-for-the-rescue-driver) - [modern technology (5)](https://intblog.onspot.com/en-us/tag/modern-technology) - [Black ice (4)](https://intblog.onspot.com/en-us/tag/black-ice) - [Content for commercial drivers (4)](https://intblog.onspot.com/en-us/tag/content-for-commercial-drivers) - [Driver Recruitment and Rentention (4)](https://intblog.onspot.com/en-us/tag/driver-recruitment-and-rentention) - [Expediter (4)](https://intblog.onspot.com/en-us/tag/expediter) - [fleet efficiency (4)](https://intblog.onspot.com/en-us/tag/fleet-efficiency) - [4x4 (3)](https://intblog.onspot.com/en-us/tag/4x4) - [5 ways to improve uptime of your fleets! 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