To not understand why so many people drive their dc to and from secondary school?

[Dancergirl]

Surely once at secondary school dc should get themselves to and from unless it's really not possible to get there by public transport?

Someone I know - her dd has started Year 7 at a local secondary. There is an easy and convenient school bus. But she's driving her and picking up every day even though she also has younger dc at primary!

At dd1's school (she's currently Year 8), it seems lots of her friends are driven to and from. Some live locally and there are very good public transport links.

Why?? Am I missing something?

Adults drive to and from work when they could walk or use public transport. Some people are just married to their cars.

In my case it was to save £45 a week on bus fares for 3 dc. Public transport can be extortionate.

My parents used to drop me and my siblings at school as it was on the way to work for them. We got the bus home.

Why does it matter to you? My dad used to drop me at school in the mornings as he could go that way to work. It was actually a nice time to be able to catch up (it was about 30 minutes drive).

That's a lot jacks where do you live?

I used to get a lift to and from secondary school. But then my parents both taught there :o

My dd gets 2 buses to school & the same back, never did her any harm. A friend of mine drops off & picks her 14 year old dd up every day even going as far as driving the 20 feet from the car park to the side of the school where the pupils come out as 'it would be a shame for her to walk to the car' her dd is 4 stone over weight.

It all contributes to the congestion in the morning.

OP, do the local schools encourage walk to school schemes?

What, when I'm going pretty much past the school anyway to get to work, I should spend an extra £2 a day for buses just for the sake of it? GTFO. Yes, it's stupid if someone's making a specific journey to do secondary drop off, but I doubt most people are.

I live in lancashire. its even more expensive in this area now with a weekly pass costing £16.50 but I'm down to just one now and she gets the bus these days.

Perhaps they have to be somewhere by a certain time after school. When ds starts secondary ill still take & collect him as its on my way to work & the buses don't run direct so he'd have to leave at 7.15 and arrive at 8.35 (we usually leave at 8am)

My DDs used to get the bus to school. However once they got to sixth form it cost £20 per week, each. It was much cheaper for me to drive them.

I also actually enjoy talking to my children in the car. Lots of chatting gets done there.

Ease? Cost?

It would cost about £15 a week minimum in my local area for children in catchment area (but more than 1.5 miles away) to get a bus to school. If a parent is already going that way to work in their car, that's £30 a month saved and a teen saved the experience of being stood on an uncovered bustop in the rain.

For others it may be about wanting to ensure child gets through the school gates (if their are truancy problems of residency/contact issues).

For others it may be lack of public transport.

Many more simply won't have considered public transport simply because they never used it or they may have (possibly unfounded) concerns about their child's safety.

Should be £60 a month, not £30. On average.

Mine go on the school bus, which is provided and paid for by the Local Authority until they complete year 11. If they go into the sixth form then it is no longer free to us, and costs around £500 per year just to travel 6 miles a day.

Currently mine are in years 7 and 10. They like their independence, and would not want me driving them too often. They find parents too embarrassing for that.

Lots of reasons I imagine. I drive past my dd's school on my way to work so it makes sense to drop her off. (There are other reasons but I daren't mention them!)

I moved mine away from the only school on the bus route following bullying.

Some days they cycle, the rest of the time it's car. Our (somewhat forced) choice.

Not possible by public transport.

Not possible by bike (too far, and a lethal road).

I work about 100 meters from the school, so naturally, DS and DD1 get a lift to school.

jacks from what age do they have to pay for a weekly pass? How much is it for an adult?? I'm stunned it's so expensive!

Our school bus is rumoured to be going up to £800-£1000 when the subsidy is removed next year. The ordinary train plus bus option would be £5.70 a day for a child but thats just a normal ticket, so cheaper with season ticket/bus pass, but I would be surprised if you got much change from £20.

No school bus and as we were out of area, no public bus for the morning would get them there in time, but mine got the bus home. Wasn't keen about them walking to the bus stop on a footpath through a lonely farmers field but they survived!

Ok, I stand corrected. Cost is a big issue.

So taking cost out of the equation and assuming you weren't going that way anyway or your parents worked at the school, why would you make a special trip to take your dc to school?

I used to get a lift when I had music lessons (heavy instrument) or if mum was amenable and I had loads of sports kit and food tec stuff or something. Or if it was raining. She was a nice mum!

I remember struggling to school with a full school bag of books and packed lunch. Sports kit including hockey stick ( before school practice) and badminton racket ( lunchtime practice) AND my food tech ingredients AND a complete change of clothes for going skiing on the dry ski slop after school with the ski club. Fridays were busy days!

A weekly child pass is £13.00 per week round here for children aged 5-15.

They pay on buses from 5 here but most primaries are walking distance. Adult passes are £19.50. Child single fares are not even half price they are 70% our local bus company sees school children as easy money and we have no choice of bus companies.