Drunk teenager- punishment or not?

Ok, so for you it's a month of insurance plus half a tank of petrol. Or the cost of a new tyre or two. Still a fraction of the cost of owning a car. Those using public transport should still budget for occasionally using taxi. (Also live somewhere with good transport options if they don't drive.)

I don't think she should pay the £60. It wasn't her fault the bus driver didn't let her on, nor her fault that her parents don't drive. It would be a complete non issue to pop and get her if she was only 5 minutes away. £60 is a lot for a teenager.
Certainly talk to her about limits on alcohol consumption, but that's all. Otherwise in the future she may choose to walk instead of calling you which would be very risky indeed.

Was it spiked?
I would want to know if it was.
I would give her a pass and talk about safety.
It happens, she's safe.
You sound like a lovely mum.

Some taxi companies charge a "village to village premium" for journeys where both ends are outside the city - because it incurs a lot more driving/time for them.

I think taking public transport is of course normal. I also did so but I also lived somewhere where a taxi would be easily accessed and cost a tenner max. I also had parents who could pick me up in an emergency. The ops dd lives in a village with only one bus an hour where it costs 60.00 for a taxi and her parents can't drive.

I grew up in a rural place and never ever got lifts if I went out by myself. I had to rely on hourly trains (it was like this all week, except 2 hourly on a sunday). It was fine, it's was a normal part of living there and makes you so independent!

Not frequently after 8pm.

Why? There's a bus

She’s an adult and where a chat about keeping safe would be helpful, the truth is that if she wants to go out and get ridiculously drunk she is legally entitled to and there’s nothing you can do. She does however, owe you £60.

Same.

I have a car and I pay nowhere near £60 a month insurance. Much less than half that in fact.

Plus a car isn't just used for picking up drunk teenagers.

Not having a car can work if you live in a city where there is decent public transport but out in the sticks it's ridiculous

@Dora33 I’m glad you mentioned that. If I was waiting for a bus to meet someone I would definitely and automatically put my hand out. Even if the passenger ‘should’ be ringing the bell too. Especially if I knew that it would be a major inconvenience (in this case reportedly an hour’s walk to the next stop?)
And I’m picturing this as a busy rural road described as an A road - surely the dh would have noticed the bus slowing down or not as the case may be and it would have then been clear to the driver he or she needed to stop.

OP is there a reason he didn’t put his hand out as the bus was approaching do you know?

I would feel I have failed as a parent if my kids were too scared to call me when they need help.

If you had a car, you'd be paying £60 in insurance every month, never mind the petrol and car maintenance costs. With that in mind, paying it as a one-off to collect a child you presumably love, or for whatever other emergency, is something you should just financially budget for because of where you live.

18 year old gets drunk, calls parents when stuck, gets home. It was a one-off; by all means talk it through if it's happening monthly but once...? There is nothing to punish here. Try asking how the rest of her evening went and re-engage with her as a fellow human rather than a child.

Sorry for harping on about the driving but I really think it has a bearing on dh reaction and that's not fair on your daughter. I have a non driving spouse and in the same situation it would be a big palaver of missed buses, expensive taxis, hours out of the night etc. Whereas I would hop in the car and have it sorted in 20 mins. It's not your fault you can't drive but you will have to budget for the odd taxi with teens. These things happen

That’s fair enough that she doesn’t want to talk about it, totally understandable.

These things happen, it was the first time it happened and it’s not her fault she lives in a remote area. Her drink probably wasn’t spiked, she probably just drank too much, it happens at that age.

I can understand your husband being annoyed about the taxi fee and the delay in waiting for your daughter to get home. But i don't understand why he didn't make an effort to signal for the bus to stop.

Previously when I was meeting my teenage children from the bus, I would always put my hand out for the bus to stop.

They explained that the taxi had to drive out from the nearest big town to the village, then drive back again. So the cost is do high because it probably took the driver about half an hour just to get to the pick up point. My dad lives in a small town with only one taxi and if it's not available, he has this same issue.

Tell your DH his days of punishing his daughter are over. She is an adult

Did your £60 5 minutes taxi fare involve a cleaning fee?

I think every teenager is allowed one of those, and the parental response should be "Well, that was stupid and dangerous and you obviously feel awful. Don't do it again - are we clear about that? Here's a double-strength aspirin. Go back to bed and I'll bring you up a bacon sandwich later."

As a parent it is now and forever your duty to embarrass her with this story until the end of time, specifically at her wedding, major birthdays, meeting new boyfriends etc 😅

A roll of the eyes and a taxi bill seems like sufficient punishment ;-)

Gosh, living in a village with limited public transport, £60 taxis and no family car must be proper hard.

18 legally an adult

They should pay the taxi fare & contemplate about drinking & keeping safe