What ever happened to taking the bus to school?

[AustinTink]

I agree with the poster who said that their ride in the car to and from school was a great way to have extra conversation time with your child. I don't think that I would use the bus service even if we had it. I enjoy my time with my child. He's my only one and he'll be grown and gone all too soon.

 

[FoundMyPrince]

But my kids don't ride the bus because I don't want them exposed to what the older kids spout out on a regular basis. And, I know that they are exposed at school, but on the bus there is a huge mix of ages, with absolutely no supervision. I know the bus driver is supposed to be in charge, but no bus driver can safely drive the bus and control the behavior of 60 kids from age 5 to 18.

I completely agree My children will be taken to and from school as long as I am a stay-home-mother. There is no way my children could possibly walk to school (across highways, no sidewalks, roughly 5 miles from school) and the bus isn't an option for our family.

 

[aprilgail2]

I have huge issues with busses being on long trips, especially if they are on highways or interstates. It's illegal for my kids to be in a car without a seatbelt on, but then they are supposed to be on a bus, with someone I've never met driving them however fast with no seatbelts?

All of our buses have seatbelts in them- its up to the children to put them on themselves though!

 

[Liberty Belle]

In our last house, we didn't want our kids walking to school because it was along a busy road. We either walked them or drove them. We did let our oldest walk home in 4th and 5th grades. My youngest went to kindergarten there and we walked or drove him. Bus service was unavailable, since the school was only about 5 blocks away.

Now, it takes 20 minutes to get to our youngest's school by car, so he takes the bus. My teenager's school is about 5 or 6 minutes away by car, but he's usually running late in the mornings so my husband drives him if he can't make the bus. It doesn't bother my husband, as he's going to work at that time, anyway. I'm already gone.

 

[mhsjax]

I would never let my kid go on a field trip on a school bus that was 5 or 6 hours, that is way too long on that type of bus. WE use charter buses, I can't believe that a school district would use school buses on that long of a trip. Way to uncomfortable. I wouldn't do it.

 

[Jennasis]

In our school district, if you live within 4 miles, no bus. And if you live 3.99 miles from school, no bus for you! I see the OP'r lives in North Carolina, so I assume you don't have to deal with snow, well we do and walking over 3 miles with mounds of snow piled in sidewalks doesn't work too well. My youngest will be starting kindergarten next year and I honestly don't trust him to make it to school without me. He'd see a tree and want to climb it, a dog to play with, a snow fort to climb in, etc. School, what school?

Actually, I grew up in NY and snowy winters were de riguer. I only moved to NC 7 years ago. So those walks home from school as I mentioned in the OP did often happen in the snow and slush...luckily it was downhill!

Sorry this bothers you so much. There are no busses at our elementary school and my kids are too young to walk. I think those are perfectly acceptable reasons to be driven to school.

Oh for Pete's sake...nowhere did I say this bothers me . At all. I was curious why it seemed like so many kids got driven, and I must say I am very enlightened by the responses. A great many (and varied) and legitimate reasons that had never occurred to me. It's been almost 20 years since I took a bus to school.

 

[BernardandMissBianca]

My kids don't take the bus anymore because we live on a busy road and the third time the bus almost got hit by a speeder was the straw that broke the camels back.

Once while I waiting for the bus to drop off(4th grade and below needs an adult present at drop off and pick up) an accident happened right in front of me. One guy stopped to turn down a side street about 50 yards away from my driveway the 2 cars and motorcycle behind him didn't stop in time. The motorcycle veered across traffic into my parents yard (next door to me) and right next to where I was standing. The 2 cars hit the guy trying to turn.
the speed limit on my road is 45, no one does less then 60.
To get to school, I cut across our field behind my house through my parents yard, and up the side street.

 

[MerMom60_94]

In my town there is a cost to ride the bus. I always paid for my DD to have that priveledge in the earlier grades. Iif I didn't work, though, I doubt I would spend the extra money and I would have driven her because there are no crossing guards and the sidewalks are decrepid (where there are sidewalks) and not necessarily plowed during the winter. Also, she would have had to cross two main roads with heavy traffic. This year she gets driven to the bus because she goes to a school that is 45 minutes away and has to be to the bus across town at 6:30 in the morning. That means she would be walking there in the dark and, again, she would be faced with the same aforementioned issues. I like walking and I like running but I wouldn't do either on the route she would have to take simply because it's too dangerous.

 

[barkley]

I don't think there is ANY reason needed to give to be driven to school. And for all the bus riders - what ages and do you wait at the bus stops with them?

mine ride the bus-ages 12 and 15. yes, i wait at the bus stop with them b/c i have to drive them to and from it anyway since it's almost 3 miles down an unlighted, unpaved/no sidewalks dirt and gravel road that is frequented by coyotes

 

[Eeyore'sthebest]

My town doesn't have bus service and DD goes to the Catholic school anyway. So she gets driven by dad!

 

[lillygator]

Actually, I grew up in NY and snowy winters were de riguer. I only moved to NC 7 years ago. So those walks home from school as I mentioned in the OP did often happen in the snow and slush...luckily it was downhill!



Oh for Pete's sake...nowhere did I say this bothers me . At all. I was curious why it seemed like so many kids got driven, and I must say I am very enlightened by the responses. A great many (and varied) and legitimate reasons that had never occurred to me. It's been almost 20 years since I took a bus to school.

I still don't understand why you feel people need a LEGITIMATE reason for not riding the bus.

 

[luvmy3]

I still don't understand why you feel people need a LEGITIMATE reason for not riding the bus.

I think the OP was just wondering why people constantly complain about dropping off or picking up and then still continue to drive them (if there is a bus option). She was just wondering what those reasons were, since there was some she hadn't thought of. I don't think she is saying that there needs to be a legitimate reason

 

[Jennasis]

I still don't understand why you feel people need a LEGITIMATE reason for not riding the bus.

People can do whatever they want. I just wondered why. Nobody owes me or anyone else any explanation. If anyone does not want to answer the question than that's okay to. I truly appreciate people taking the time to explain why they do it. There was nothing nefarious to my post.

When I used "legitimate" it was not to infer that there were reasons that were "not good enough" in my estimation. You are reading my post, possibly, with the wrong tone? I probably should have said "logistical", or something to that effect.

 

[jodifla]

I still don't understand why you feel people need a LEGITIMATE reason for not riding the bus.

There's some case to be made for being greener by not having individual cars running back and forth to school. My son's elementary school has over 700 kids in it....just logistically ,it would be impossible if everyone decided to drive their kids to school.

In fact, our district really pushes everyone to ride the bus. There's no distance limit to who can ride the bus. In our case, my son's school is over 5 miles away, so there would be no chance of walking.

My DS has ridden the school bus since preschool. He enjoys riding the bus, and although we'd save about a half-hour time wise if he rode the bus, we'd spend a lot more money on gas driving him everyday.

Now, we'll see what happens next year. We have a serious budget crisis in the state and with the schools, and I can see the buses being slashed.

 

[karenos]

Since my town is very small and compact, no one family lives farther than 2 miles away from their neighborhood school (which I believe is state law for bussing), thus no busses.

When the weather is nicer, I do walk my children to school - a 10 minute walk. I actually like that they don't have to worry about a bus (too much drama on a bus, from what I remember).

Just my 2 cents....
karenos

 

[mommyof2princesses]

As a child, growing up in Queens, Ny I took the bus to Catholic school every day with kids in grades K-8. It was too far to walk everyday and my parents didn't own a car (we lived in Queens!) Once we transferred over to public school, we walked..it was 2 blocks. In junior high and high school we got bus passes for the public busses and subways. I don't know a soul who got driven. In high school, we moved to long island and took the bus. It was about 15 miles to school. I stood at the bus stop in rain, sleet and snow my whole life, or walked in it. It was what we did. My brothers did the same thing.

Now, as an adult I live in NC. I am amazed how many people drive their kids to school. My dd rode the bus everyday through elementary and middle. Whatever was endured on the bus wasn't going to be much different that what was going on in school. We even made her wait for the bus in the cold, not in our car sitting at the bus stop! I did try and run down to the bus stop if it was pouring, but not always. Now, we homeschool, so there is no bus service to the kitchen table.

I had a neighbor tell me once that they drive their kids to school because they remember kids smoking pot on the bus when they themselves were going to school. That's crazy! But, what is even crazier is that now, students do it at school too.

 

[descovy]

I think the OP was just wondering why people constantly complain about dropping off or picking up and then still continue to drive them (if there is a bus option). She was just wondering what those reasons were, since there was some she hadn't thought of. I don't think she is saying that there needs to be a legitimate reason

I just want to say, in my neck of the woods, I wonder the very same thing. In our school district, bus service is available TO ALL (even if you live accross the street)

My kids get driven if they have a large project, or get picked up if they have a dentist appointment/etc... that saving 10-15 minutes would matter. Other than that, they are on the bus (we live too far to walk, imo)

I hate getting to the car line though... School is out at 3:40, but by 3:15, the line is already snaking out to the street. All those folks sit in the car (SUV's) with their engines running burning up all that fuel for nothing. Sometimes they even have little one in the car. OMG! That would be torture, a bored 2 year old, 5 days a week waiting in the car-rider line. Shoot me now!

 

[binny]

I had to ride the city bus in HS. My girls go to a "No bus" school as most of the elementray school here are so we drive them. With the issues we deal with I dont feel comfortable with them walking.

Starting in Middle school they take the bus though. Thats next year for one of my girls So not ready for that (school not the bus)

 

[Jennasis]

I must say, I do feel for those who have no bus service. What about parents who work or single parents? It must be hard to try and juggle the pick up/drop off in some situations...particularly when it's forced.

 

[tonilea]

We live out of district, though we do have bus access about 3 miles from our home. I always drive him - he would be on that bus w/ k-12 for almost an hour and a half. I don't want him exposed to some of the older kids and he already goes to bed at 8:30, so we would lose time with him.

I substitute at his school, so often there isn't any wasted gas, I would have to drive anyway.