Bus behaviour!! Dreading school runs!

[Obie4]

Really need help/advice.
I have 4 children in total. But the biggest problem is with my younger two. They are both two years old (one is about to turn 3). We have to take 6 bus rides a day each of witch is a 40 min round trip. Thanks to school/nursery placements.
My girls are obviously getting fed up with this, they are usually quite well behaved, but are awful on the bus. They have complete melt downs. Crying, shouting all sorts. This can go on for the whole journey. I understand it must drive other people crazy, it drives me crazy. But I honestly try so hard with them to keep them occupied and quiet. I don't just leave them to cry.
But the comments I am getting are really getting to me now. Mostly elderly I will point out, among many things iv had 'id give that a slap', 'why have children if you cant look after them', 'That's what I call bad parenting', 'will you shut that thing up', 'children wouldn't behave like that in my day', 'in my day you couldn't take prams on the Bus, just laziness'. Iv had full blown arguments, with people saying or offering to give them a slap. And iv had times that i get of the bus early in tears.
I understand my kids are fed up with these bus rides. I also know they are not the only kids that have to do this.
What can I do. Or how do I cope with comments?
I'm dreading tomorrow morning.
My kids are otherwise quite well behaved and normal 2 year olds.

[MrsOverTheRoad]

What triggers them? Can they just not sit for that amount of time? Do you engage with them the whole time? Looking out of windows, pointing things out, saying rhymes etc?

[DonkeyOaty]

4 hours per day is spent travelling on buses? That IS a lot of time and v boring for the little ones.

Am a bit stumped tbh. Every journey necessary? Eg if an older one is at school and the next one does half days at nursery at the moment could you do full days at nursery for fewer days maybe?

[Obie4]

Yes I engage with them the whole time. I take a bag of toys/books. We look for dogs birds other buses ect. Iv dowloaded lots of nursery rhymes to a tablet. They just have no interest while on the bus.
We were at a closer nursery so we only had 2 bus journeys a day, but as I was always late getting to the nursery from the school run, my 4 year old lost her place. There is no other option with nursery, the one she is at doesn't do full days.
In the summer we would go to the park for a few hours for a picnic after the nursery pick up until I had the school pick up, but it's way too cold now.
Again today a couple on the bus behind me were moaning about them. It's so frustrating. They must be so bored though. X

[Mamabear4180]

4 hours a day? that's ridiculous! There must be a better option than that? I'd take the older one of nursery tbh. That's way too long and too much for the younger ones.

Those elderly folk sound really rude!

[Obie4]

I have thought about it. I'm trying to get them into closer school. And taking my driving lessons. I think there has been a break down in communication, my fault. It's not 4 hours of bus a day. It's six bus rides of 3 40 min round trips. There and back morning, afternoon, and 3 o clock. So 2 hours. Sorry didn't make it clear. X

[Mamabear4180]

Oh I see what you mean. Still quite long though! Can you miss one out by staying there and doing something with the younger 2? I couldn't hack that!

[Obie4]

I do try if I need to go to town it's not that far from the school so we walk in. And I found a playgroup there one morning a week. Otherwise we are just out in cold, trying to waste a few hours between pick ups. It's a nightmare x

[Mamabear4180]

Grr how annoying! You definitely need something closer.