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Secondary education

Connect with other parents whose children are starting secondary school on this forum.

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Original poster

How long does it take your child to get to school?

40 replies

QBEE · 12/03/2011 20:01

via public transport or otherwise?

I was just looking into bus routes and was astonished to find that the journey that would take me twenty minutes to half an hour, taking into account traffic, in the car will end up being one hour and forty minutes on the bus.

To get home there are only three buses heading back this way that stop within a couple of miles of the house and two of those run before dc finishes school and the other an hour after although the route back is quicker than the route there...

Add to that the cost involved and it seems like madness! There will be no mates on the bus to pass the time with either and it is not a school bus.

We live approx four miles from the school but the bus goes through a few different villages and towns and there is no alternative quicker route!

Is this unusual?

OP posts:

bigTillyMint · 15/03/2011 18:49

5min walk at primary, about half an hour, I think, at secondary, depending on the bus-hopping!

mummytime · 15/03/2011 23:43

Up to 1 hour walking, but would be 10 min journey, but allow 30 minutes for the bus. However lots of kids travle 1 hour or more by train or bus to private schools around here.

cat64 · 16/03/2011 00:28

This reply has been deleted

Message withdrawn

circular · 16/03/2011 07:14

DD had 5 nun walk to bus stop, about 15 mins on bus that stops outside school days. Special extended bus service so only one at 8:25 and one at 15:35. She leaves 10 mins earlier than she needs to in the morning as bus often comes early. So 30 mins all in all.Charged 50p per journey, although local buses running with a 15 minute walk of school are free.

DH takes her when she has extra to carry and collects when she has after school activities. About 5 to 10 mins in car ~2 miles.

bitsyandbetty · 16/03/2011 12:15

25 mins on school bus plus 5 mins eitherway or 30 minutes by bike. Not likely to travel by car.

ArfurBrain · 16/03/2011 12:18

45 mins by bus, 1 hour or so walking, 20 mins car.

TennisFan · 16/03/2011 12:21

I am planning for next year too - my DS is going to have to walk 10 mins (or get a lift from DH) to get the express bus at 7.30am to the city, then its a 15 mins walk, or short bus ride to school.
Same again in the evening, but there will be lots of other children getting the same buses, so he is not too worried.

Hoping we will get a bus pass, as it would be ££

GrimmaTheNome · 16/03/2011 12:26

DDs bus takes the best part of an hour in the morning, about 40 minutes return. It would take as long by car, its a direct route but there's traffic at these times. We have to drive her to and from the bus-stop as its too far and not suitable route for walking, but that doesn't take us long.

Its a school bus though, she absolutely loves it, constitutes a significant part of her social life.

When she's a bit older, there's a good public bus service on the same route she'll be able to use for after school clubs, currently we drive to get her after the one she does.

PlanetEarth · 16/03/2011 12:59

That is a long time! My DD's school is about 4.5 miles by the shortest route I think.

mornings school bus, 50 min (it's actually more like 25 min on the bus but she has a 5 min walk, then it's timed to arrive quite early, so she leaves the house 50 min before school starts)

evenings public bus, 1 hr roughly, including 15 min walk to bus stop from school

by car 20-25 min + a few minutes walk from edge of campus to school

GrimmaTheNome · 16/03/2011 13:04

I'm stunned by how long it takes some of the buses to go such short distances - my DDs journey is 20 miles and doesn't take as long as some (presumably very urban) ones.

Original poster

QBEE · 16/03/2011 13:42

There is no chance I would be letting her cycle as she is quite possibly the clumsiest child created and the most direct route would see her travelling a mile or so on 60mph roads.

I have seriously just resigned to moving house but in the meantime I have arranged to drop her off part of the way and let her get the bus with her friends from a different area so that it is not so bloody boring being on a bus for nearly three hours of the day.

OP posts:

ArfurBrain · 16/03/2011 15:28

often the urban school buses have to go aorund the houses to pick up children and contend with peak hour traffic - hence a journey of around 3 miles taking 40 mins...

GrimmaTheNome · 16/03/2011 16:21

That sounds like a sensible compromise QBEE. A bus journey with friends is good. Alone, it would be boring and probably a bit scary.

upahill · 16/03/2011 17:08

About 45 mins by bus
About 1 hour walk
less than 10 mins if I pick him up

DS2 5 mins to get there, about 30 to get home (He bimbles with his mates!!)

BrigitBigKnickers · 16/03/2011 21:23

DD1- 5 min drive to the station. 10 mins on a train and 15 min walk the other end= half an hour. If I drive her it can take a little less time but traffic is mixed.

DD2- 45 mins on a school bus virtually door to door. If I was to drive her it would take about 10 mins less but not possible as I work part time.

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