# 5740 - 2023 Forever Additional Ounce School Bus (Sheet Stamp)

U.S. #5740
2023 School Bus (Sheet)
Additional Ounce

• Covers the Additional Ounce Rate
• Produced in both sheet and coil formats
• With this stamp, the USPS “celebrates the iconic yellow school bus and its place in the nation’s collective childhood.”

Stamp Category:  Definitive
Value:  24¢ Additional ounce
First Day of Issue:  January 5, 2023
First Day City:  High Point, North Carolina
Quantity Issued:  100,000,000
Printed by:  Banknote Corporation of America
Printing Method:  Offset, Microprint
Format:  Pane of 20
Self-Adhesive

Why the stamp was issued:  According to the USPS, this stamp “celebrates the iconic yellow school bus and its role in ensuring that millions of children get to school and home again every day.”

About the stamp design:  The stamp design was created by artist Steve Wolf.  This was his first collaboration with the USPS.  The stamp pictures a modern school bus (in traditional school bus yellow) with the silhouette of an American flag and school house in the background.  The clock at the peak of the school roof reads approximately 7:50 a.m., the time many students across America arrive at school each day. 

The design’s beige and tan background gives it a vintage, yet timeless feel.  The design is a reminder of the decades of service by school buses and drivers in the United States.  It also reflects the many changes and upgrades made to school buses over the years.  This includes safety features such as cross-view mirrors, stop arms, and flashing lights.

First Day City:  The stamp was issued in High Point, North Carolina, with no First Day of Issue Ceremony.

History the stamp represents:  In the early days, the only way most children could get to school was by walking.  Halfway through the 19^th century, that began to change with the introduction of “kid hacks.”  These were horse-drawn carriages designed to carry children to school.  They were primitive and didn’t have much protection from the elements, but they marked the beginning of the history of school buses.

The first “horseless” school bus was produced by Wayne Works in 1914.  Five years later, the use of school buses was funded in all 48 US states.  Buses went through a number of innovations in the next twenty years or so.  By the 1930s, the design had pretty much settled to the style we know today.  It was also around this time that “National School Bus Glossy Yellow” became the standard color for all school buses.

As the years passed, more safety features were added, making today’s school buses some of the safest vehicles on the roads.  In fact, according to the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration and National Transportation Safety Board, riding a school bus is more than 70 times safer than riding in a regular car.  That’s good news for the over 27 million American children who travel to and from school by bus every day!