An educational policy introduced in the USA in the 1960s. Children were taken by bus from Black, White, or Hispanic neighbourhoods, usually to suburban schools, in order to secure racially integrated schooling. The desegregation movement had mainly affected the southern states, where busing was first introduced, against strong opposition from White families. De facto segregation also existed in many northern cities, since the central areas were often inhabited entirely by Black families. In 1971 the Supreme Court approved the principle of busing. In 1972 Congress ordered that further schemes should be delayed. Busing remained a controversial issue and its use steadily declined as a means of racial integration.