Never took the bus. No Red Lobster. Dairy Queen? Yep. But

the only other "chain" type of burger place back in the '70's in Vince Boryla's hometown, was... Chicken Unlimited. Ours looked like this one in Illinois.

McDonald's and Burger King would arrive, but not until in the 1980's. McD's has rebuilt but is in the same spot to this day; the BK is now a Wendy's.

Back to the bus: My friends and I walked to and from school, to avoid the type of bus-ride drama so aptly described by the OP Bruno. It was only a mile away, and only the junior high school was "so far away." Just two years. Elementary school and the high school were two blocks from the house, at most.