• 16 parts
  • Checked September 2026

Parts of a Bus

A school bus from the front, the back and the door side, with the parts that keep riders safe.

Parts of a Bus

Name Date

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1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10 11 12 13 14 15 16
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Write the name of each numbered part.Answer key

  1. Stop arm
  2. Red warning lights
  3. Side mirrors
  4. Door (service door)
  5. Windows
  6. Wheels
  7. Amber warning lights
  8. Windshield
  9. Headlights
  10. Bumper
  11. Crossview mirrors
  12. Strobe light
  13. Rear emergency door
  14. Brake lights
  15. Roof hatches
  16. Crossing arm (safety arm)

Drawn for this site on 2026-09-30 from plain geometry, a composite of no one maker, with no lettering. Licence: own work.

Each numbered ring is a button. Use the arrow keys to move between them and Enter to choose. Names are read out in Study, and once a part is answered.

Next step Next: a train and its coach

All 16 parts on the diagram

Show the list

First 6: start here 6

  1. Stop arm Tells other drivers the bus is stopping or has stopped for children.
  2. Red warning lights Flash while the bus is stopped and children get on or off.
  3. Side mirrors They show the driver traffic and students along the sides and behind.
  4. Door (service door) The driver opens it from the driver's seat.
  5. Windows Some of them push out and are emergency exits.
  6. Wheels The back wheels are in pairs, two on each side.

Lights 4

  1. Amber warning lights They flash first, to show the bus is getting ready to stop.
  2. Headlights One on each side of the grille.
  3. Strobe light It helps others see the bus in fog, rain or snow.
  4. Brake lights They come on when the driver presses the brake.

Mirrors, arms and exits 4

  1. Crossview mirrors They show the driver the ground right in front of the bumper.
  2. Rear emergency door A way out if the front door cannot be used.
  3. Roof hatches Emergency exits in the roof. Some can be locked part open for fresh air.
  4. Crossing arm (safety arm) It makes children cross well in front of the bus. The driver can see them there.

Body 2

  1. Windshield On this bus it is two panes side by side.
  2. Bumper There is one at the back as well.

How this list was compiled: Part names checked on 2026-09-30, a name kept only when two of these use it. (1) Texas Commercial Motor Vehicle Drivers Handbook (the national CDL manual text), sections 4, 10 and 11, https://www.dps.texas.gov/internetforms/Forms/DL-7C.pdf : service door, outside flat mirrors, crossover mirrors, stop arm or stop signal arm, safety arm, alternately flashing amber and red lights, strobe light, roof hatches, rear emergency door, emergency exits, headlights, brake lights, windshield, bumper, wheels and tires. (2) NHTSA, School Bus Safety, https://www.nhtsa.gov/road-safety/school-bus-safety , read in the Internet Archive copy because the live page refused the fetch: flashing red lights, yellow flashing lights, cross-view mirrors, stop-arm. (3) Wikipedia, School bus, https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/School_bus : stop arm, crossing arm, amber and red warning lamps, crossview mirrors, entry door, rear emergency door, roof hatches, strobe lights, windshield, windows, bumper. The wording of every label, hint and fact is our own. Licence: own work

The drawing: Drawn for this site on 2026-09-30 from plain geometry, a composite of no one maker, with no lettering. Licence: own work

How it works

These are the parts of a bus that takes children to school. Most are there for safety: lights that flash, a stop sign that swings out, and mirrors that show the driver every side.

Read the full guide

Three drawings of one bus

The first view shows the bus from the front and from the back. The second shows the door side, with the crossing arm swung out from the front bumper. Numbers 1 to 6 are the parts to learn first: the stop arm, the red lights, the side mirrors, the door, the windows and the wheels.

What the lights tell drivers

Yellow (amber) flashing lights mean the bus is getting ready to stop. Red flashing lights and the stop arm mean it has stopped and children are getting on or off. Other drivers must stop and wait until the red lights stop flashing and the stop arm folds back.

  • The amber lights sit between the red ones, nearer the middle of the bus.
  • Without the crossview mirrors, the driver cannot see the ground just in front of the bumper.

Questions and answers

What are the parts of a school bus called?

On the front: windshield, headlights, bumper, side mirrors, crossview mirrors, and amber and red warning lights. On the driver's side: the stop arm. On the door side: the door, the windows and the crossing arm. At the back: the rear emergency door and brake lights.

What is the stop sign on a school bus called?

The stop arm, or stop signal arm. It swings out from the driver's side when the bus stops for children, and it has red lights of its own. Other drivers may not pass while it is out.

What is the arm on the front of a school bus for?

It is the crossing arm, which a driver's handbook calls the safety arm. It swings out from the front bumper so that children cross well in front of the bus, where the driver can see them.

Why does a school bus have a door at the back?

It is the rear emergency door, a way out if the front door cannot be used. The roof hatches and some of the windows are emergency exits too.

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