the short bus

Slow thought process. It refers to the bus that transports the disabled kids to and from school, not to be confused with the senior citizen's bus.

School vehicle meant for special education students. Many are equipped with wheelchair lifts. Most seats are equipped with restraining belts.

Generally, the short bus is a smaller version of a regular school bus that carries mentally challenged students to school. On rare occasions, if your school board is a bunch of assholes (like mine), you will be forced to ride in a short bus for field trips if you class contains less than 18 students.

The bus i rode to school. Its a little bus for the special kids. We had lots of fun on that bus and you make good friends. People sometimes make fun of it but its really a cool bus. Its yellow.

A bus that people who can't spell derogatory take.

A horizontally challenged bus that people have become accustomed to watching pick up developmentally challenged children and adults. Cleverly worked into an insult when someone does something stupid.

The idea of 'riding the short bus' is used in American English in much the same way that 'æåëòûé äîì' (yellow house) is used in Russian as a reference to mentally retarded children. United States public school systems have an extensive bus program to transport children to and from school. Regular buses hold large amounts of children. Shorter buses are typically used for "Special Education" (i.e., the mentally retarded) public school students who are typically educated in different facilities.