Economy

CityLab Daily: It’s Time for the School Bus to Grow Up

Also: Why cities should support street vendors, and the tech that’s changing how cities help the homeless.
Seth Perlman/AP

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School’s out: Every morning and afternoon, a national fleet of 500,000 buses takes 26 million captive riders to and from school. Powered mostly by diesel fuel, their impacts on the environment really add up, especially with labyrinthine pickup routes and noxious idling times. While most other vehicles, including city buses, have graduated to sleeker, safer, more efficient, and more electric technologies, the big yellow school bus—carrying what is arguably the country’s most precious cargo—has been left behind. For the latest installment of our Bus to the Future series, CityLab’s Sarah Holder has the story: It’s Time for the School Bus to Grow Up.