Why Buses Open Doors on Railroad Tracks

Before it became law, school buses didn’t have to open their doors at railroads. Sure, they stopped to check for an oncoming train. But when visibility is low, say, in fog or during a snowstorm, that method can prove dangerously ineffective.

Everything changed in the 1930s, but the situation still wasn’t ideal. Originally, a student was assigned as a “lookout” during each ride. They’d get off the bus once it stopped and look both ways down the railroad crossing. This continued until it was decided that it was too big a responsibility put on these young volunteers’ shoulders.

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TIMESTAMPS:
Why bus drivers open the door 0:48
Further safety precautions 1:47
Why are school buses yellow? 2:21
Why is the roof painted white? 2:47
Why are the windows tinted? 3:16
Why is the steering wheel so massive? 3:36
Why don’t they have seatbelts? 4:14
🚍 The most fascinating bus facts 🚍 4:51

#buses #schoolbus #brightside

SUMMARY:
- It all comes down to safety and lessons learned. By opening the door AND their side window, a bus driver is better able to hear if a train is coming.
- Besides coming to a full stop 5 to 15 feet before the crossing (plus opening the door and window), bus drivers must turn off anything that creates distracting sounds, including the radio and fans.
- White reflects the sun’s heat better, so it keeps the inside of the bus 10° cooler.
- The dark tint of the windows blocks a lot of sunlight from getting in, and it retains interior heat in the winter!
- Most buses don’t have power steering. This system normally helps the driver use less force to turn the wheels. Buses don’t have it because there’s always the risk that it could fail.
- So far, 8 have passed laws requiring school buses to have seatbelts. Occasionally, individual school districts have the freedom to decide whether to implement them.
- There are currently about 427,000 school buses in America alone!
- If you’ve ever dreamed of owning your own big yellow bus, you can go to eBay now and purchase one for about $3,000.
- An average school bus can reach a max of 65 mph (although local speed limit laws for them are usually much lower!).
- The largest bus in the world is the Neoplan Jumbocruiser. They stopped production in 1992, but the jumbo-sized coach didn’t disappoint!
- The first buses were pretty much horse-drawn farm wagons in the late 1800s. The carriage was labeled “Public School” and it transported children that lived far away. (Most kids still walked to school at that time.)
- According to the American School Bus Council, buses save an estimated $7.7 billion every year!
- Buses also help our environment. If every child in a community rode the bus to school, it would save more than 2 billion gallons of fuel!
- One education report found that students who rode the bus were much less likely to miss school.
- There are perks to being a school bus driver! On field trips, they’re sometimes gifted free entrance to those destinations.

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[BRIGHTSIDEOFFICIAL]

Hey guys! Are you still in school? How old are you, btw? 🙂

[brandonm]

The answer is so the bus driver can hear if a train is coming. Just saved y'all 8+ minutes

[alfatih]

the video title made me think that the bus opening the door exactly over the railroad track.

[Unknown-xbjy]

Every school bus I been on hasn’t opened the doors on any railroad tracks.

[schrpnel]

I swear, none of yall have ever ridden a bus. The driver tells you to be quiet, you wonder why? Because they're listening.
edit
gEES i didnt want to anger you people!

[cwasfound]

Well isn't that something, I missed my bus today for school

[cashordeals]

That always scared me as a kid because i thought the bus driver just got mad and was like you know what get off and get hit by a train 😅

[cathialford]

I rode that bus for 12 long years. My ride was an hour each way. Thankful for safe bus drivers.

[anabelletalstein]

My old buss driver was the best, he was my first and last bust driver for school. After second grade I began homeschooling I miss my bus driver he did so much for the school and was never late even in the worst of winter storms.

[funnyminerr]

I ride the bus and it’s really fun because I can talk to my friends while we’re going to school

[vr]

My pop was a school bus driver and a fleet manager, you never appreciate just how much work goes into driving and maintaining a school bus with all that ware and tare.

[SuccessWaiting]

If you stay positive
In a negative situation

You

[cryo_life]

Answer to the video: So that they could hear if a train horn is nearby/coming.

[SuccessWaiting]

ज़िन्दगी को आसान नही
बस खुद को मज़बूत बनाना है

सही समय कभी नही आता
बस समय को सही बनाना पड़ता है।।

[scottarivett]

The overhead flashing red lights on school buses work off of a button that the door lever rests against. When the lever is released (to open the door) the lights are engaged and flash. This may vary from state to state but in most I’m certain it is required to have the lights going at any stop the bus makes

[carterkillorn]

This video is kind of bad the doors aren’t even on the right side😂

[CobaltLancer]

7:50
I was once so late with a schoolbus that I and everyone else in it missed the first lessons, break and even lessons after that and arrived at lunchtime 😂

[kreonomy]

Probably because if there’s a train accident, passengers can escape.

[VictorAFurr]

Here in Illinois, school buses aren’t required to have seatbelts but a bus company that has small buses called Septran are required to have seatbelts on every bus even though they do take up a lot of time when trying to evacuate a school bus

[SuccessWaiting]

Don't talk : just act
Don't say: just show
Don't promise: just prove