To Ride the Bus or Not to Ride the Bus

If the fee isn't a problem, I would let her ride. My kids have all loved it, I was very nervous about it also...went so far as to follow the bus for a few days ...but over all it was a great experience for them.

for me, I love being able to take them to school. I never took the bus. My mom always took me. It's just nice to have that extra few minutes in the day with them. They are gone all day.

Here's my suggestion, considering all of the information you've shared:

First, sit your daughter down and very simply explain everything you shared with us: "Here are two things I need you to know about the bus. First, if you want to take the bus, that's fine, and you will need to get up a half-hour earlier than you usually do. (This may mean an earlier bedtime, so this is a very real aspect to consider, her getting enough sleep.)

Second, the bus will cost us money to use. So, I'd like to know that we can really make it to the bus on time before we buy the pass."

If I were in your situation, I would offer a privilege/trade: Practice the new 'get to the bus stop' morning routine every morning for a week or two. See how it works. IF, after this time, you feel that getting to the bus is doable for your family, then I think the bus would be a wonderful idea. It's often a way for kids to extend their schoolday with peers, and friendships are formed. It's also (transportation-wise) the safest way for kids to get to and from school, and you also found other "upside"s, too.

if there is nothing in the way of you taking her, take her, when my daughter gets to be school age, she will be driven until she is old enough and trustworthy enough to drive herself

Wow they charge. I agree with that but have never heard of it.

I don't think the getting up earlier should be an issue, she just has to go to bed a half an hour earlier.

I really think riding a bus makes a kid feel more responsible. My kids love it and I haven't had any issues with it.

For me, encouraging some independence is never a bad thing.

Good luck deciding!

Your bus pass is way cheaper than ours. Roundtrip for us is $225 and one way is $185.

Find out if there is an option to pay as she goes. My son did that one the way home last year because sometimes he wanted to hang w/ a friend after school on go on the bus with him.

If she can pay as she goes, she can see for sure if she really likes it or not.

It * could * be fun and social. Or it could be full of "annoying" people.

You could also use it to encourage her to get to bed earlier (that's the tax) if she wants to ride it. No exceptions.

My son is already looking forward to riding a bus next year, but alas, we only live 2 blocks from school. Sorry kiddo, you're walking! He is also less than a mile from the middle and high schools so I think he'll be walking/riding a bike the whole time.

In our district, I believe if you choose to ride and live under a mile away, there is a charge to ride the bus; anything over gets bus service for free. My opinion is that it keeps it as a neighborhood thing where kids that can walk, do that. We have a lot of kids that walk each morning and of course, I still see the bus arriving with others, but not many buses. We also have three great elementary schools very close by (all within 1 or 2 miles of our house) so with the overlap in boundaries, I think the majority here don't need the bus.

As for your child, if you can swing the $150, I say let her try it. It could be a great chance for her to strengthen bonds with friends and she may love it. And if she doesn't, it's a good lesson about making choices or doing things just because friends are.

When I went to school in a different state, I loved the bus! But when we moved, the private schools there only did carpools and I hated it.

For me it is first choice, bike or walk, 2nd choice, bus, last choice, me driving.

My youngest (5th grade) has gone back and forth between riding the bus to changing her mind to walking or bicycling. We live just over a mile from her school, but she as to cross a few busy streets so I ride or walk with her until she's in a much less busy residential area. just a few blocks from her school. then she loves the independence of finishsing the ride or walk on her own (sometimes with a friend). We LOVE the fresh air and morning exercise as well as the not waiting around at a bus stop or for her to wait until all the classes load the busses at school. My DD enjoyed the bus ride in 4th grade. She liked the driver who was young, fun, nice, and played music the kids liked. But in 5th grade a bunch of boys started swearing and she just couldn't stand to be around their mean behavior. And the bus driver that year never knew who was misbehaving so a lot of times all the kids got in trouble, which made my DD furious. You never know with the bus, I've found that it can vary a lot from year to year. Personally, I'm not a fan each family driving their kid individually to school. It's just adds lot of congestion and waste of resources. But I end up picking her up a few times each week to get her to activities on time, just because her school end time is so late.

If this is the first year they are charging, I have something else to consider. Our school district started charging for the bus last year. Because of that MANY, MANY more people chose to drive their kids, because they wanted to avoid the extra cost. It has made drop off and pick up a bit of a nightmare around here. It has also caused more traffic and congestion. My hubby has to leave the house for work earlier when school is in session. I don't know how this affects your decision, but it may be something else to think about. My neighbor has to leave to drop her daughter off earlier than she anticipated to get through the traffic and drop off line in time for school.

I like the upsides better; I also am a big proponent of seat belts-especially on snow days and I drove my high school children two blocks to school in Potomac ( outside of DC) for this reason:

http://sexoffender.dc.gov/

I agree with SB. Although our district is not yet charging, I have seen the nightmare of traffic tie ups on the news reports because some people just did not want to pay.

There is more to consider than the fee... your time, leaving earlier, etc. How much is that worth to you?

If I had the ability, I would just drive her...you are already having to pick her up 4 times a week anyway. You would essentially be paying for something that you would use only half the time max.

If my children stay in the same school, we will never use the bus. We live less than a mile from the school so bus service is not available to us. We are unable to drive them to school since we have to be at work and I don't trust the safety of the kids walking. Therefore, we use a daycare that does transport to and from school.

Hi, Sally:

It is all about letting go of your child.
It is difficult but you can do it.
Good luck.
D.

I have never heard of paying a fee to ride the bus...

I will never have my daughter ride the bus to or from school. The bus wasn't an option when I was growing up (we lived out too far). I was GLAD I didn't have to ride the bus! Heard too many stories from friends and how they didn't enjoy it.

Plus, we've had too many accidents involving school buses around here. And school buses don't have seat belts. I feel safer driving her myself, knowing she's well-buckled in her 5-point harness seat.

Also, I hear about kids spending crazy amounts of time riding around on the bus :/ Since I am able, I'd rather get to spend that time with her :)

And there's no way we'd be able to get her up & ready on time for a bus either!!!

For us bus,it is a hop skip to the corner,they are there in 5 min. it is over a mile from the school to our home it is free transportation and if needed to I can pick them up from school thye enjoy it I feel they are safe i'm watching them the whole time till they turn the corner any questions I call the principal or the bus service.If I had to pay for it then no I would take them and pick them up but right now there isn't anything after school that we are involved in

If this were a typical situation assuming that the bus is 5 minutes to school so probably never going over 25 then I'd say let her drive.

But the school charges you $150 to bus your child? Is this a private school? School taxes are suppose to pay for this. I'm confused on this point and unless necessary I wouldn't pay it!

You live in DC and it doesn't snow that much there, just depends on the year. So I wouldn't let the snow be a factor in your decision. The drama by kids AND mothers is something I'd be avoiding.

In the end by what you wrote I'd just drive her daily and skip the whole bus thing. In DC there's city buses and subways she can get a thrill riding and I'd just explain it to your daughter as being a good. Believe me, there are plenty of kids out there who think it's more cool to be driven and prefer it. And in your car she'll be strapped in for saftey.

K. B
mom to 5 including triplets

The bus gives them a certain amount of independence. It is a proud moment for kids. Let her go.

I say let her ride the bus, otherwise she will always feel like she is missing out on something - the grass is always greener. She may find after a year of getting up early, standing at the cold bus stop waiting, and not really being able to talk to her friends because it's assigned seats anyway, that she doesn't like it after all, and you may get to drive her next year. I'd ask the school if there is a refund if you only ride the bus 1/2 the year, or if it's $150 regardless of how many times you ride.