The History of School Transportation in Mercer County, WV

1974-75

In January 1974, the West Virginia Board of Education revised its safety standards to require padded seatbacks and 8-way flashers with red and amber lenses on new school buses. On both fronts, the state was laudably ahead of the curve on safety trends. Safety features were also retrofitted to older buses, as described by director Harold Lytton in the 25 Aug. 1974 Bluefield Daily Telegraph: "We have installed beeper sound alarms, backup lights, and front crossover mirrors on most of our buses as a special safety feature for backing up and children crossing in front of the buses." 8-way flashers may have also been eventually retrofitted to a proportion of the pre-1974 buses still in service, but the extent of this is unknown.

Shortly afterward, West Virginia discontinued its 1930s-holdover practice of painting the front fenders of school buses black. The reasoning was undoubtedly for safety and visibility: Black fenders visually "blended in" to surrounding streetscapes and vegetation, whereas yellow fenders were plainly visible and clearly demarcated the corners of the bus. By the end of the decade, a fair number of older buses in Mercer County had also had their fenders repainted yellow.

Seven new buses were acquired in 1974, with the body contract split between Carpenter and Blue Bird. Chassis were purchased from Andy Clark Ford of Princeton. This purchase was soon supplemented by an additional order, since Mercer County in the mid-1970s was adding well over seven buses to its fleet per year.

#279, a 1974 Blue Bird, was undoubtedly one of the very first school buses equipped to West Virginia's new and more stringent safety specifications of that year. The most visible evidence of this are the 8-way red/amber flashers, mounted here within individual square buckets. The seatbacks also have padding that extends slightly above the line of the windows. [Bluefield High School yearbook, 1980]

A Blue Bird/International school bus photographed in 1977. Although no fleet number is visible, the body characteristics and newly-required 8-way flashers almost certainly also peg this specimen as a 1974 model...though from a different production order, with combined oblong buckets for the red and amber flashers. Note the black fenders, which appeared this year for what may have been the final time. [Bluefield High School yearbook, 1977]

#285, a 1974 Carpenter/Ford, was likely tied as the last Ford-chassis bus ever acquired by the district. This bus was equipped with a jackknife door; however, later Carpenter buses were equipped with outward-opening doors. [Montcalm High School yearbook, 1980]

Another 1974 Carpenter/Ford with an unknown fleet number, possibly #290. From 1975 on, West Virginia counties pooled their bus orders into statewide bids, resulting in more fleet consistency and an end to the "free-for-all" potpourri that had defined Mercer County's school bus configurations in the early 1970s. [Athens High School yearbook, 1977]

1975-76

In a change from past practices, 1975 was the first year in which the district participated in a statewide school bus purchasing pool. Six buses with 48-, 66-, and 84-passenger bodies were secured by Mercer County for delivery in August of that year, all apparently with Carpenter bodies and International chassis. As before, it's possible that this was supplemented by an additional order before the year was through.

#294, a circa-1975 Carpenter/International, making its rounds near Montcalm in two pictures from the mid-to-late 1970s. In a change from past years, this bus was equipped with outward-opening doors. [Daily Telegraph, 1977-04-30, and Montcalm High School yearbook, 1976]

Another Mercer County Carpenter/International bearing a host of new safety features making appearances in this era, including 8-way flashers, yellow fenders, and dual crossover mirrors. It's possible that this particular bus was numbered #293 or #298, both of which served Athens at one point. [Athens High school yearbook, 1982]

1976-77

Ten more buses were acquired by Mercer County for 1976 delivery, all apparently with Blue Bird bodies. Backlit "School Bus" signs also began to appear in this timeframe.

#313, a 1976 Blue Bird on duty. A vertical stanchion is visible inside, indicating that the bus was produced prior to the advent of 1977 safety standards dictating padded "compartmentalization" barriers forward of the frontmost seats. [Bramwell High School yearbook, 1982]

1977-79

Seven new buses were purchased in 1977, split between gasoline-powered Wayne conventionals and diesel-powered Blue Bird transits. These were Mercer County's very first diesel buses, chosen as part of a trial run "to experiment for effectiveness."

In April 1977 the U.S. federal standard known as FMVSS 222 went into effect, mandating features in school buses such as high-back "compartmentalized" seats and perimeter frame cages around fuel tanks in order to enhance crash safety. These standards had repercussions that became dramatically apparent in later years. In the wake of the 1988 Carrollton bus disaster, the neighbouring state of Virginia demanded that all pre-1977 school buses be retired by 1992. Tazewell County (adjacent to Mercer) was put into a crunch, tasked with the chore of having to replace 40% of its bus fleet on short notice.

There was no such crunch in Mercer County, West Virginia. The district's last pre-1977 buses were decommissioned by the late 1980s. West Virginia had also been ahead of the curve on safety, requiring side emergency exits as early as the 1960s and padded seatbacks in 1974...a manifestation of the socially-conscious and progressive reputation the state (sometimes) enjoyed before West Virginia's racist and religious elements made a mockery of it all.

This year's Wayne buses may have been the first operated by the district to feature their maker's innovative "Lifeguard" body design, characterized by seamless longitudinal body panels and tall aluminum-frame windows.

#321, a 1977 Wayne/International model, could very well have been the very last gasoline-engine bus in Mercer County's fleet. The plain flanks and yellow rub rails of West Virginia's pre-1980s school bus livery are very much in evidence here, as well as a framed and illuminated "School Bus" sign...a feature that briefly appeared in the state specification for a few years. [Photo by the author, 2013]

Yet another Wayne/International of similar era; possibly a sister bus to the last. The lumpy cowl line indicates that this bus features a 1978 or earlier International Loadstar chassis...and it probably isn't much older than that. [Princeton High School yearbook, 1985]

#323, a 1977 Blue Bird All American transit-style model, as seen during an evacuation demonstration. This bus was one of the very first in the county with high-back "compartmentalized" seats that rose above the window line. Another feature that links this bus squarely to its era of manufacture is the rounded edge of the rearmost side window, abandoned on new Blue Bird production by 1979.

Note the illuminated "School Bus" sign. The bus also has an illuminated "BACKING" sign below the left-side taillights, which was a 1970s feature that appeared off and on in West Virginia without any real consistency. [Daily Telegraph, 1983-10-09]

1979-81

1979 was the year in which International Harvester unveiled a completely redesigned line of medium-duty trucks and chassis-cowls. Dubbed the S-series, the new line replaced the venerable Loadstar of 1962-78 and featured rectilinear styling with a standard flip hood. It also made its first appearance in the Mercer County bus fleet in time for the 1979-80 school year. As they had two years earlier, Wayne Corporation furnished the bodies. These would be the last Wayne-bodied buses the county school board would acquire for nearly a decade.

In addition to changes in school bus styling, Mercer County also underwent changes in school bus personnel during this era. Upon transportation director Harold Lytton's retirement in 1979, his duties were assumed by Robert Bailey, then by Jim Akers following Bailey's 1980 promotion to director of vocational education. Energy conservation was likely the dominant theme of directorial conversations in these years.

A representative example of one of the county's 1979 Wayne/International 66-passenger buses. The dark speck above the entrance door is a stencilled roof logo for Indian Head Corporation, Wayne's corporate owner. The fleet number of this bus is unclear, but it might be 339. [Daily Telegraph, 1989-05-20]

One of the more unusual buses added to Mercer County's fleet during this timeframe was #345, a 1980 Blue Bird Mini Bird built on a Chevrolet P30 Step Van chassis. This vehicle and its twins may have been the only "Type B" buses ever operated in the district. [Athens High School yearbook, 1981]

1981-82

Interestingly, Mercer County's conventional bus orders in 1981 appear to have been split between two manufacturers: Ward, and Carpenter. Ward School Bus Manufacturing of Conway, Arkansas was in dire financial straits at the end of the 1970s and was forced to suspend production under Chapter 11 bankruptcy in July 1980. Although the assets of Ward were subsequently restructured as AmTran, the school board may have had difficulty securing deliveries of Ward buses in the aftermath and was thus "forced" to go with Carpenter as a second-source alternative. These were likely the last Carpenter buses ever acquired by the district. This batch of vehicles was also the last to be decked out in West Virginia's archaic "all-yellow" pre-1980s school bus livery, with no contrast paint on rub rails.

By 1981, Mercer County had fully switched from gasoline engines to diesel engines on new buses. Turbocharged diesels had numerous advantages for school bus applications including greater torque, durability, and economy. The last point was a sticking point of major significance...and the county likely solidified its decision to convert when the 1979 energy crisis cast its ready access to gasoline into question.

#352, a 1981 Ward/International bus. Note the prominent "DIESEL" legend above the fuel flap. [Montcalm High School yearbook, 1989]

#355, an identical 65-passenger model. 1981 was the state's last year for yellow rub rails and backlit "School Bus" signs on new buses. The focus of this photograph was on an obsolete bridge forcing school bus riders to dismount and reboard to avoid overloading the structure. [Daily Telegraph, 1984-09-14]

1982-83

West Virginia's school buses looked different in 1982. Rub rails were now painted black for greater conspicuity, lending a "bumblebee" appearance that contrasted with the plain yellow flanks that 1960s and 1970s buses had. 1982 may have also been the year the state dropped the backlit "School Bus" sign as a requirement. The county's body contract was awarded to Blue Bird this year via its Blue Bird East division in Buena Vista, Virginia.

A brand-new 1982 Blue Bird All American Type D bus with black rub rails waits between older Ward and Blue Bird buses with yellow rails at Bluefield High School. The fleet number of the bus is unclear, but it might be 370. [Daily Telegraph, 1982-09-05]

This identical 15-window Blue Bird was probably bus #371. #371 would go on to be the county's last 300-series bus in regular service, being used for daily routes as late as 1996. Note the small backgrounds around the flashing warning lights, which were increased in size on later Blue Bird orders. [Princeton High School Yearbook, 1987]

1983-84

Eleven new buses were purchased in 1983, all of them diesels. The county's bus manufacturer appears to have reverted to Ward this year.

The bus in both these pictures is likely #372, which served the author's hometown of Athens in the 1980s. The body has black rub rails (indicating a post-1981 model), while the clearance lights and flasher visors both differ materially from Mercer County's pre- and post-1983 Ward buses. [Athens High school yearbook, 1984; "Progress-Education" supplement to an unknown newspaper, 1990-03-08.]

Continued...

---

©2020-23 Andrew Turnbull, exclusive of historical and submitted images.