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 don't get this much stick for using cars

No - but one huge difference is that for many kids - and specifically the ones the OP is talking about there are school buses. Our public transport system in many parts of the country is dire - getting from a house to a workplace can be difficult. Whereas secondary schools are large clusters of people who all need to arrive and leave at the same time, so the logistics are different.

Walking or biking to work can be problematic for adults if they need to be in business attire. My company has its main base in Cambridge where cycling is a normal means of transport - it provides showers. Most companies don't.

But to drive a (non SN) child a short distance to school where there is a cheap, reliable alternative seems wrong to me

OK take out cost and reliability.

Bullying.
Anxiety (can effect NT children as well as those with SN)
School bus timings (length of the journey/time of the school bus).
Public bus routes and length of journey

Does it still seem wrong to you?

Twice in recent history there have been fatal, unprovoked stabbings on buses in our city. It's not safe anymore, I will definitely be driving DS when he goes to secondary school.

Also, I took the bus every day to school and it was miserable.

Traffic congestion and pollution is a community issue.

But buses in our area are great diesel polluting machines. Air quality tests in our city proved the main culprits to be the buses. Still the council does not change them.

Agree it is a community problem, but then school transport used to be free in my area, that was abolished three years ago, due to financial reasons. You can hardly blame the individual, if the local services are not there .

Also, I am not sure you can always tell from looking if someone has got a medical reason and needs a lift. Surely you don't know the ins & outs of the health of every child you see being dropped off by car.

So I am calling you judgemental.

Incidentally, how is the free school transport in London funded? Is it from council tax payments, or money from the government which presumably we all contribute too?

School bag weighs over a stone. Add the other stuff DD needs and it's another half stone. DD weighs less than 5 stone. Literally can't carry all the stuff the half mile walk to the bus stop. And yes we've tried to limit the stuff she needs but it's not do able. So she gets a lift both ways.

Chocolate, there were time in (teeny weeny) DS's first year that I seriously considered packing him into the bag and handing him to a friendly 16-year-old to carry to the bus stop.

My ds walks as we are lucky enough to live nearby.

The school has sent home several letters warning of incidents that have involved local students being harassed or even attacked on their way to/from school. There have also been at least two warnings about students being approached by drivers who have tried to persuade them to get into their cars.

I can understand why parents might not want their children to walk. Local transport is expensive (around £60 per month for a slow and unreliable service), so cars are the only remaining option.

They might not feel safe about there dcs going by themselves

I think a lot drop their kids off on their way to work

I can understand if school is directly on way to work. Or in a rural/out of the way area. Apart from that, I cant understand it at all. No wonder some youngsters find it hard to socialise their parents are 'on' them every step of the way. To & from school is a chance to mix, catch up with friends just be amongst their peer group. Then again some car owners I know act as if their car is their child & barely do anything that doesnt involve driving so, any excuse....

Fortunately I couldn't care less if you understand or not.

You are judgemental, obviously. Who are you to decide that people are "wrong" to drive their children whenever and wherever they see fit. You're like a dog with a bone though, even though you now have six pages of people justifying their actions to you. Don't know why people are pandering to it to be honest. I bet your acquaintances and neighbours think you're an attention seeking, opinionated nightmare.

If you are at an 'out of catchment' school, there is no dedicated school bus and the timings of the mainstream public transport seem deliberately worked out to discourage people from 'going out of catchment' such that a simple 12 minute car journey would take over an hour by bus and require a much earlier start out time.
Then school finishes at 3.15 so surprise surprise the bus back in the home direction goes from outside the school at 3.13 and the next one is 30 minute wait away and then takes over an hour.
I knew this when I decided to use this school so I'm not complaining, just explaining really.

So maybe the OP would like everyone to individually submit their mitigating circumstances to her and get permission for our kids to be driven to school according to whether or not she judges those reasons to be valid?

Fortunately my reasons make it onto her list. Phew.

I am totally and utterly flabbergasted that school children have to pay bus fares, tbh. Really shocked!!! my face is like this .

Me too minty That in itself is completely wrong. Does anyone know what other countries do? I know they have school buses in the States, are they free?

my daughters year 10, live a 10 min walk from school but I drop her every day.
I love her , its cold, I like to see her safely deposited in school and its my job to run around after her, im a mother.

Doesn't she like to meet her friends in the morning gingermop?

£520 a year for a bus pass for my Y12 dd, £104 for the Y10 dd.

shocking amount of money! especially as I drop them to school in the morning because the buses are not reliable. I combine the trip with whatever I need to do, eg shopping, or book my meetings for early in the morning if I can. they bus home though.

all her friends r driven, they all meet in a group at front of school.
I think her reason for wanting a lift is firstly its so cold and not cool to wear a coat and secondly she blow dry her hair straight most mornings so trys to save it from elements, haha.
I do cause I feel its my job and that 5 mins in car with her in morn I like, shes all chatty and looking forward to her day

Dancergirl, have you been on a school bus at rush hour? I am interested as for me that is the most important factor in not wanting ds to use them.

SEN or not. I still wouldn't want him to go on them.

I am a SAHM to school age children. I drive them to school and back because I got free time and don't mind spending it driving ten minutes every morning. it would take them about 40 min to get to school by bus and then walk because there is no bus stop near the school. I don't want them to get wet/cold/sweaty in the morning.

School bus or public bus rooners?

i got bullied a lot on the bus to and from school, it was a school bus and i was always sacred to get the bus in case something bad would happen, so my mum gave me a lift half of the time. this can be a reason some of the time.