Big Boxy Facts
Sunday
The word “bus” is short for “omnibus,” which means “for everyone.”
Monday
The first public bus system began in the 1660s with horse-drawn carts in France, but was only available to nobility, so was-short lived. France again started a public bus system in the 1820s, and it was quickly followed by several US cities.
Tuesday
The growth of the school buses in the US was spurred by compulsory school attendance laws, since students needed a reliable way to get to their mandatory education. They were called “kid hacks” or “school wagons”.
Wednesday
Buses played a big role in the US Civil Rights movement. When the US Supreme Court found racial segregation in schools illegal, buses were used to transport students to now-desegragated schools. Rosa Parks famously spurred a boycott which forced desegregation on buses in Montgomery, Alabama, and “Freedom Riders” later rode buses to spotlight where segregation of interstate bus travel was still maintained.
Thursday
In the US, school buses replace about 17.3 million cars that would be needed for equivalent capacity, and buses are designed to be about 70 times safer for passengers than car travel.
Friday
The worlds longest bus route crosses about 3,920 miles across South America from the Pacific to the Atlantic from Rio de Janeiro, Brazil, to Lima, Peru. This five-day cross-continental route is operated by the company Transacreana.
Saturday
There is more than one way to pay for a bus (or train) ride. Worldwide, the most popular is a flat fare paid on entry or a distance-based fare paid when you leave the bus.