What color is the lettering on a US school bus?

The lettering on a U.S. school bus is black.

Black lettering is used against the familiar yellow-orange body because the contrast remains highly visible in low light. School buses often operate around dawn and dusk, when students are being picked up or dropped off, so legibility is a safety feature rather than merely a decorative choice. The words “School Bus” are typically displayed above the windows at the front and rear.

The color pairing dates to 1939, when education specialist Frank W. Cyr organized a national conference at Teachers College, Columbia University. The conference established 44 school-bus design standards, including a common exterior color. The selected yellow-orange shade was considered especially conspicuous at a distance and provided strong contrast with black lettering.

A common mix-up is confusing the black lettering with the bus’s warning equipment. School buses also use red warning lights and a red stop arm, but those signals are separate from the permanent black identification lettering. The official yellow shade is now called National School Bus Glossy Yellow.