From rural routes to desegregation runs, the yellow school bus faces a new reality

The briefing

An Associated Press feature traces the American school bus from Georgia dealer Albert Luce's 1927 metal-bodied design to its role in school consolidation and desegregation. A 1939 conference of transportation officials chose the distinctive yellow for visibility, and by the 1980s the buses carried more than 60% of U.S. students. Driver shortages now leave many students without a ride, even as veterans like Carl Fisher, who drove 66 years, describe the work as vital.