Why are school buses yellow?
Aug 7, 2025
Transcript:
I have a question…
Why are school buses yellow?
It’s not random. The answer takes us back to a weeklong meeting in 1939 that helped shape the safest mass transit system in America.
That year, a man named Frank Cyr, a professor at Teachers College, Columbia University, organized a national conference. He brought together school transportation officials from all 48 states to Columbia University in New York City. The General Education Board, created by John D. Rockefeller Sr., funded the event with a $5,000 grant, which is about $115,000 in today’s dollars. The goal? Improve student transportation safety.
Over seven days, attendees agreed on 44 national standards for school buses—covering design, construction, and safety. With these standards, for the first time, school buses could be mass produced with a uniform look. That’s where the color comes in. They chose a bright, highly visible color that would stand out at dawn, in rain, or on foggy mornings: a specific shade originally called “National School Bus Chrome”, named for its use of lead chromate. Today, it’s known as “National School Bus Glossy Yellow”.
That iconic yellow color—combined with high-contrast black lettering—ensures drivers can spot a school bus in low light and from a distance. And thanks to the standards set in 1939, people across the country instantly recognize what it means when they see that yellow bus: there are students on board.
In 1966, the Highway Safety Act reinforced school bus safety. Guideline No. 17 required buses to meet federal standards, including proper identification and the continued use of the now-famous yellow. Frank Cyr later said that in 1939, the most common question asked was “Will this standard improve safety?”
And it has.
School buses now form the largest mass transit system in the U.S. According to the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration, school buses are the safest vehicles on the road. Less than 1% of all traffic fatalities involve children on school transportation. That’s thanks to strict safety regulations—and of course, “National School Bus Glossy Yellow” color we all recognize.
Another question, another answer.
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