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School Bus Colors
Not a question that will change the world but I notice the roofs of most school busses are now white. Is there a reason? White paint cheaper than yellow, better seen from the air, less heat absorbtion???? Frank.
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School Bus Colors
Is a big number painted on top too? Maybe black numbers on a white background is easier to identify from the air?
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School Bus Colors
Franky, I noticed the same thing with the same thought: the roofs are painted white to reduce heat inside. Then I noticed the windows are slightly tinted AND they're AIR CONDITIONED (units are toward the rear on the roof)! S-o-n of a B! Then it clicked: it's no wonder you don't see kids hanging out the windows anymore like we used to do! (I can remember the drivers b---ing "P-U-T T-H-A-T W-I-N-D-O-W UP ON YOUR WAY OFF!)
When I was riding buses we were lucky to even have the old, metal pipe surrounding the seats being phased out or at least being covered with vynil seat covering (many lost teeth over hitting them--the seat backs, not the kids).
I can't imagine what the seats are like now--heated...cup holders...COMFORTABLE. At one time parents were pushing seat belts until they found out their taxes would go up. Who needs seat belts if you cram 4 kids in a seat like sardines?
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School Bus Colors
Did some googling about the subject:
--White roofs reduce inside temps
--The cooler temps inside reduce kids fighting inside
--The State of Texas did some studies and found painting roofs white cost $800 each
--Tinting the windows to be done at the same time roof was painted cost $500 each.
--Southern states use airconditioning units too (no cost shown).
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School Bus Colors
The color of vehicles you don't want cars running into is a serious issue in ergonomics. Do you keep the accustomed colors (fire-truck red and school-bus orange are "display stereotypes" , or do you paint them fluorescent lime-green (the highest conspicuity color for most conditions)? (White is better at night -- unless there's snow -- assuming that for some reason there are no marker or other lights on, or reflectors.)
The general practice is a gradual switch of emergency vehicles to the green while schoolbuses stay orange. Since their roofs are not seen, they can be colored white (or black in the arctic) to help temp control.
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School Bus Colors
Auer: I'm sort of across the river from you in Detroit. Emergency vehicles going back to the early '70's used to be the lime greenish yellow. Lately they are sticking with traditional red. I think this may be due to the advent of high intensity lighting like LED's. Gov. owned buses here are traditionally shades of yellow, never orange. Orangish-yellow are sometimes for private carriers.
Here, orange is reserved for county or city trucks
And you can see bus roofs too--nearly one whole side from the windows up to nearly the crown in the roof.
Speaking of traditional colors, in a trip to Toronto a few years ago I was really scowled on when I drove my company truck there having a amber light on top. And the fact I didn't have front license plate---really made the Law take a doubletake as they drove by. You guys have different codes for colors on fire and police cars too right? Police are red; ours are red and blue; snow plows blue, ours amber only; tow trucks amber here; funeral processionals violet here. Here ambulances are red and white
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School Bus Colors
A fireperson friend of mine told me that the reason for lime green firetrucks and hydrants is that in the dark traditional firetruck red can become almost invisible. Someone mentioned having numbers painted on the white background of a school bus roof, but I haven't noticed that either. Surely there is a bus driver or two on the board that can put us in the know.
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Sorry EW, I didn't completely read your Google post about busses. Fred Flintsone drove our first bus. Seriously tho my first school bus was nothing more than a pre WW2 old Ford car with a foot board tied to the front and rear bumpers that had School Bus hand painted on them. One of my older cousins drove our first real school bus when he was a senior in high school, kind of a little short boxy thing probably a 24 passenger, we thought it was a monster size.
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School Bus Colors
FRank: But at least it had ABS brakes though, right? Jis' kiddin'.
Any of you guys out there have what we can "bus races/demolition derbies". Really brings the redneck in us out. Yeeeeha! It amazing how stable a bus really is even when hit from the side. Around here, buses get sponsorships and they paint them with the sponsors' names and advertising. Then smash 'em up.
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We do combine demo derbys here at the county fair. They remove all the glass from the cabs, put the batterys and a small fuel tank in the grain hopper out of harms way, and the driver must have a seatbelt and crash helmet. My neighbor won this year with his Massey 750 and was able to drive it nine miles home.
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11-16-2008, 08:43 
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