Thank you everyone! Now that the shock has worn off, I'm feeling a lot better about it. And I've enjoyed reading everyone's stories. There's such a wide range of experiences.
Some specifics...
Do they take the city bus? Interesting- our public schools have their own busses that the kids ride for free.
That is a big $$ outlay- can you break up the fee into monthly payments? That would help a lot...
Yes, they take the city bus. The public school only provides transportation up to to the end of Grade 8 and then the kids are on their own.
We could buy it on a monthly basis, but that would be around 250 dollars more expensive. Once my husband got over the sticker shock he agreed it was better to just bite the bullet and pay it.
Can you car pool? Our bus system is free here, but I take and pick mine up each day. It will help a lot too when one of your children starts to drive to school.
I wish! But parking fees downtown are awful, so my husband also takes the bus to work. On the plus side, my daughter and her dad will be able to take the bus together in the morning.
A month bus pass in orlando is 50$, and the student one is even cheaper. Are there car pool options with other students near you?? I couldn't fathom paying 700$ for a year bus pass. How much is the monthly pass??
A student monthly pass is 73.25 by itself (adult is 91.50). The total for the student yearly pass was 650, plus the cost of a photo, plus one-time insurance in case she loses it, plus taxes.
None of the kids in our immediate neighbourhood go to the same school, unfortunately. And the adults who work downtown mostly take the bus. For example, my husband gets a discounted pass from work - the amount is deducted from his paycheck.
Keep the receipt and/or used pass, and you can claim it on your income tax next year:
line 364 public transit amount
No cloud without a silver lining!
Oh... THANK YOU! This does help.
That is a high cost, but I'm wondering why you say you weren't expecting it?
Did it used to be monthly passes or something?
New York City gives free metrocards (for buses and subways) to students. They were going to eliminated them this year due to budget shortfall but there was a big outcry and they are going to give them out again.
Well, my daughter is 14, going into her first year of high school. She's never needed a bus pass before and transit prices have gone up a LOT recently.
When I was 10, I could ride the bus for 35 cents. It went up to 75 cents pretty quickly, but then it stayed there for a long while. When my daughter was a little girl, it was 1.15 for an adult to ride the bus. Now it costs 3.25, more if you want to ride any of the "express" routes.
I thought I was going to be buying a monthly pass - I didn't know there was a yearly one at all. And I thought I'd be paying maybe 40 or 50 dollars a month. So I walked in there expecting to put out no more than 70 dollars.
Adding another zero to that number was a bit shocking. I envy you your free metrocards!
But on the plus side, my kids already have their instruments and the "optional" school fee for my daughter was only 55 dollars. Oh, and I've told her I'll pack her a lunch every day. If she's planning to eat elsewhere, she's going to have to pay for it out of her own pocket. She's agreed that's reasonable.
Love our beer, taxes not so much. There is good and bad to everything.
