Two and a half years ago, School Transportation News published in the magazine a timeline that tracked the evolution of the large school bus. .
That article in the August 2007 issue spanned nearly 100 years, starting in 1916. We’ve also posted online a more in depth history that covers the most notable events in student transportation dating back to 1886, when Wayne Works of Richmond , Ind., produced its first horse drawn “school cars,” also known as “school carriages” or “school hacks.” Since then, we’ve tried to find and post as much as we could on the subject (and, as with time, this list still evolving).
Today, thanks to safety consultant Dick Fischer of Trans-Consult, I came across a page on Google that chronicles news articles in timeline form that are related to school buses. The Google page is far less of a comprehensive list, but it could be yet another tool to use when seeking a historical snapshot of the industry. Unlike the STN page, this online list begins in 1926 with an entry from the New York Times on an school bus crash, “Six Cripples Hurt in School Bus Crash.” It was definitely a different era when political correctness had yet to take root in the social vernacular. That link, inexplicably, was not working, And some others also appeared to be broken. But many links do function correctly.
If you have time, check it out. And to all you history buffs out there, let us know of items that we should include online or in future magazine issues.
