55 minute bus ride to secondary school

[PurpleStripedCat]

Is this too much? Due to separate from DH and I will probably end up moving areas around 6 miles away from DS (13) comp. One area is decent with a bus stop along the road which stops right outside his comp. Ex and I will be doing 50-50 shared so only half the time DS will have to do this. I don’t have much choice unfortunately about where I will end up as I’m on the HA/Council House list. I’m coming up as top ten for the area that would be a 55 minute bus ride. Other areas would be a 30 minute ride.

Unfortunately the 55 minute bus ride stops at loads of places which is why it takes ages!

I could also take that area off my list but it is the one I’m coming up top for.

In rural areas many kids have to do this. Only half the time seems ok to me

My bus to high school took around 45 minutes. I did that from age 11. I'd say 55 minutes is fine, but maybe see what your DS thinks.

Normal

I think that’s far too long !
Thats 2 hours onto a young pupils day

Could you drive him so it's a shorter journey? Even just in the morning maybe?

I travelled for an hour each way to school from age 11-18. The bus was just really slow because it was a busy route that passed through several town centres, as by car, off-peak, it might have been 25mins. I coped. I read, and I made friends with other kids who joined at various stages of the journey. I suppose it depends on your child, though, and how tired they are likely to be. If they do after-school activities, it could also mean them getting home quite late. Maybe talk to them about it? Ultimately, you need a home, so that does have to be a factor.

Don't think it's too bad especially with being half the week.

Thanks, due to my work shifts it would be potentially Monday - Thursday one week and only Monday and Friday the following week. Ex is home at 8pm so if he wanted to (once in a while) go to a friends house and go to his Dads I’d be flexible, his dad would leave at 5.30am the following morning but as a one off would be manageable.

I went to a secondary school that was around 35 minutes drive from home, but closer to 75 or even 90 minutes on the bus. Its just one of those things.

Could it mean he’d want to stay at his dad’s more?

I would have found it too long but at my school no one else took the bus (I took one for about 30 mins) and I would have felt completely differently with friends to chat to.

More important was the frequency of buses - mine came once an hour, about 2 minutes after the bell rang. I had to do a mad dash every day to avoid an hour's wait on my own. The fact I still remember it at 45 tells you what a pain it was!

My school was an hour away on a bus. It was fine. I listened to music, chatted to friends, did homework, read. The only thing that wasn't great was the social scene in my older years. My friends were able to meet up and do things after school but I lived too far away. Also, clubs like drama etc were always with randoms as I did it locally rather than near my school. These were minor things though and it was fine really.

They don’t do any after school activities, only on a weekend. Another option would be for me to (I don’t drive) meet him up the school and bus it back with him (occasionally) It’s public transport not a school bus if that makes a difference? I’d feel better if it was a school bus.

They would get home at 4.20pm - not that bad for half the week.

I had a rural bus ride to school. It was school that was the problem not the bus ridee which I enjoyed.
I am a teacher now, the irony, when there was a transport strike some years ago staff were telling stories of how they got to school. Someone from a remote Scottish Island had a ferry which was cancelled in rough seas. Someone else lived in a literal war zone and at one point crossed a mine field to get to school. Someone else grew up during the troubles in Ireland and they were often not allowed to leave the house to go to school because of British Army action on the street they lived on.
Everyone had found positives in their situations!

Rural dweller here, my bus journey to school every day was well over an hour. You get used to it, chat to friends, do homework. Kids have phones these days so will also do phone stuff.

I lived 3 miles from school and in the morning the bus came to us first and then did an hour long loop 😁reverse in the afternoon. Was very fun as was a dedicated school bus not a public one so it was raucous. Poor driver! I think your child will be OK although will any of his pals be likely to join him? Does seem long totally alone!

My 1hr journey each way was on a London bus, not a school bus, but at school times these buses are full of kids anyway.

Not good for his street cred for you to be catching the bus with him, no.

For me, 55mins on the bus isn't too bad, but I'd be more interested in the frequency of the buses. If he missed it, would he have to wait 5 - 10 mins or would he have to wait an hour for the next one ?

Yeah this bus is one per hour but it’s 20 minutes after he finishes school so enough time to go to the shop etc. Definitely handy that the bus stop is right outside is comp.

At 13 he'll be fine OP, it will help build independence too.

Loads of kids in rural areas do this. They manage.

It would be an hour wait.

He would be alone 😢 No buddies unfortunately but he’s got his phone and I would ring him if needed. I’d feel better if his friends were on there. He’s an independent boy and wouldn’t be phased really but it does seem like a long journey.

Loads of kids in London etc do it too - I used to commute to work on the slow line on a train absolutely stuffed with loud teen boys. I think school bus far preferable to public transport personally as you don't annoy non-school goers! Lots of kids (not mine!!) where we live currently also get train for about an hour or so to the nearest non-extortionate private school as the local one is ridiculous 😄