We see school buses every day – these big, familiar yellow vehicles usually ply the roads every morning and late afternoon as they transport children to and from school.
While you take school buses for granted, imagine a day without them. Let’s look at the possible scenarios without school buses.
Imagine a day in your life without any means of school transport
One school bus does the work of 36 cars. School buses transport more than 26 million students to school each day.
So, imagine a day without school buses. How will your kids reach the school, and how long will it take them to get there?
- Imagining such a situation alone can be dreadful, especially if you think about the families living far away from the school. Either the parents have to drive their children to and from school, or the children have to cycle to the same destination. If there is no other option, the children will have to walk miles to reach their schools and back home.
- If the kids have to walk to school, they would have to wake up early to start the long journey ahead so they won’t be late to reach the campus.
- Parents should also wake up earlier than usual to prepare to drive their kids to school.
- Commuters are facing a spike in traffic during rush hour.
- Families are spending more time and money pumping gas in their vehicles.
- There would be higher chances of children getting into accidents.
- More cars on the road mean higher levels of air and noise pollution.
Students and school staff arriving late to school
Whether walking or getting driven by their parents to school, it’s highly likely that more children would arrive late to school – or wouldn’t make it there.
It’s not only the students who would be affected by the absence of proper school transportation. Teachers, principals, counselors, aides, and other school staff members would also arrive late to work due to the extra traffic.
More families would be obligated to drive their kids to school without school buses. And traffic happens when a roadway has too many cars at once. If the roads don’t have space for all vehicles, people would have to drive slower and closer together to allow more cars. And there’s no worse way to waste those precious hours than to get stuck in a traffic jam.
Stuck in traffic, polluting the air, creating noise
It’s usual for most drivers to leave the engines running while getting stuck in the middle of traffic or stopping at a red light. This is what you call “idling.”
Every day, millions of cars, trucks, and other vehicles idle needlessly – and sometimes for hours.
As said before, one school bus does the work of 36 cars—an idling car releases as much pollution as a car in motion. Without school buses, more cars will fill the roads and major thoroughfares. Cars idling while stationary would cause an increase in harmful emissions. As a result, motorists and commuters would be breathing over 320 million pounds of additional carbon dioxide – and this is just in a single day.
Cars idling while making a stop can also lead to fuel waste and a noisy environment.
Higher chances of accidents
Imagine without a school bus in a day – parents will have a reason to worry if their children go to school alone, without adults or other kids to accompany them. They fear that their children might figure in an accident or lose their way while going to school or home. Seeing their child injured or realizing that their child fails to home after school is every parent’s worst nightmare.
Some parents will take their children to and from school if their families own cars. But keep in mind that vehicles, including sedans and SUVs, are more likely to cause injuries or fatalities in road accidents. Many factors, such as distracted driving, drunk driving, or defective components, contribute to car crashes.
Conclusion
We cannot imagine a day without school buses!
School bus transportation provides many benefits, including reducing tardiness and minimizing pollution. School buses are still the safest way for children to go to and from school. They bring peace of mind to families who can now stay relaxed and not worry about the security of their children.
Learn about some of the great people who have been school bus drivers. Then, check out School Bus Hero to see if jobs are available near you.