School trip- public transport

[lighthouse26]

Hi everyone

I just had a letter about my child's school trip (primary school age).

They are looking at getting a public bus to (9am) and from the trip which is in the city centre and a 30 minute bus ride away (back in time for home time). As an ex primary school teacher, I think they are extremely brave 😅

There will be two classes of 30 as well as teachers and parent helpers. I'm just so unsure about it and how it will work. What if the bus is full. I will email the school these questions. Has anyone else's school done this?

Our school is close to a main bus route, and to a train station, and they often use both methods of transport to access our local city and town (one in each direction). The buses run about every ten minutes so are rarely packed out, and I think they'd just wait for the next one if it was full. I've not heard of any issues and have attended a couple as a parent helper. It is a much cheaper alternative to hiring coaches.

I think this is quite a normal thing in some areas, especially with coach costs increasing so much - I'm often in London and feel like I see at least 3 primary school groups on the underground/buses on each trip these days!

If you're nervous, find out about the plan/risk assessment and see how they'll make it work practically. Make sure your DC knows what to do in a worst case scenario if you're unable to go along to help (obviously this is ideal if you have worries, but appreciate it's rarely that easy!)

We do it regularly. We plan for having to spread over a few buses and leave time for that if needed. I was dubious the first time we did it but it works well and means we can offer many more trips because we aren’t spending £100s on coaches

And it gives children experience of travelling on public transport, which many don't have until suddenly they're having to do it to travel to secondary school.

Or are like the group of girls around 17yo I saw recently, who were asking each other if they'd ever been on a train before.

DS has to take his class on public transport. The parents simply can’t afford the cost of a coach. He has lots of adults with him.

Where we live, if you tell the bus company when you are catching the bus, they'll add an extra bus to the route for that time.

My first teaching job was in London so I took the class on the tube quite often. The staff were always so helpful. I remember once being on a packed tube near morning rush hour. That was a bit scary but luckily lots of people got off at 'Bank'. I can see you what you mean about the buses but often you can tell transport companies you are coming so they are aware but I'm not sure if this is true for buses. The children generally enjoy the ride there too and lunch time of course. 😉

I think it's great, one of my kids schools did it lots (including whole junior school for sports day off site, free trips into London museums etc) whereas other one didn't add parents caused too much fuss so everything cost £££ for coaches.

I'd be wary, but it depends on how much you trust the school. My DD's primary occasionally used the train and I'd been on school trips with them, so I knew how carefully they counted the children.

In contrast, we got on a bus in central London about a year ago as a school trip of about 25 children got off. The teacher just asked the last kid down from the top deck if he was the last one. No counting, no having an adult as the last one down to check. I wouldn't have been OK with that.

London buses have 76-ish seats, IIRC. The odds on a bus being too full for them after 9am are really, really low and in the rare occurrence that the first one is packed, they'll wait for the next one and maybe, if that's also fairly full and the service is frequent, split into 30+staff over two services. Most double deckers have a similar number of seats and after 9am, roughly 4-5 people on them.

It'll be fine and there's no need to take up time of both admin and teaching staff in describing to you how they will get on a bus.

Years ago I went on a local (just a bit too far to walk) trip by public bus with DS2's mixed year 1/2 class. What was very obvious, from their behaviour, was how quite a few of the pupils seemed ever to have been on a bus before (all of our DC had; at the time, DS1 was in year 7 and was doing so on his own daily). However tempting it might have been, we didn't lose any of them, though.

Thank you everyone! All very helpful.

They are 7 year olds so still quite small. It's a 20-30 minute walk to the bus stop. We are south coast so not London.

I'm sure all will be ok.

It will be fine and is a common occurrence. Why do you feel you need to email the school with your questions? Do you think they have not done a risk assessment?

Our school uses public transport now as coaches are so expensive it meant we were having to cut down on trips. The children enjoy them and the trips all have detailed risk assessments.

Yes my DD's primary used to take them everywhere on public transport. The walk is also a good experience and a bit of exercise.

My kids nursery took them on the public buses. Why not, it saves a fortune on coach hire?! I wish my kids’ school would go on more trips.

This is common where I live as we are well served for public transport. I like to see it, it makes me smile. Both my kids have done it in nursery and primary, and they loved it.

A lot of schools do it especially in London as they can get free travel for the Children and only pay for the adults. Far cheaper than paying £100’s for a coach and fun for the Children.

Good grief! In our area they can't even recruit enough drivers to run the scheduled service! Where do you live????

This is how all our kids school trips are done.
90 reception age kids took two TfL buses each way to go to the museum of London docklands.

90 kids at a time to the British museum, the national gallery, Greenwich maritime museum etc.

s long as they have an appropriate adult to child ratio I really can't see what the problem is.

Nottinghamshire - lots of schools use it.

We've done a few trips on public trains, well trains to be more precise because coaches are so expensive!
One reception trip (so little 4/5 year olds) was to the seafront (we live in a coastal town) and the children had to walk about 15 minutes to the station and then another 20 minutes or so to the beach. They were exhausted!!! Even walking trips to the park etc, you can tell which children walk everywhere and which children are always driven in a car!
As long as there are lots of helpers as well as staff, it should be fine.

DS school uses public transport all the time as it is free (or a pound a head on the Tube at rush hour). It means trips into London are well under £10 each - they went to the Science museum for no cost at all. They walk to the station.
When they use buses they tend to stick to single class groups and do the trip on consecutive days to avoid issues with busy buses.

Sounds like a great way to save on coach costs! I'd assume they have thought this through we'll. I also make sure my kids know what to do if they get lost on public transport just in case (it won't happen on the school's watch though I'm sure!).