How late would you happily let a 16 year old girl (or boy) catch a bus home from a train station?

[Wills]

I'm curious because I wonder if I'm being overly cautious. My daughter, whilst very sensible is not particularly street savvy. However she has a lovely group of friends and often goes out to a bigger city 20 minutes train ride away. At the moment anything after 9.30 at night starts to make me uncomfortable especially as the station is in the middle of a quiet suburban area rather than centre of town.

Before now I would always have advised others to go with their gut feelings as they know their child best, but I'm finding more and more that I end up giving her friends a lift home too. Their expectations are that they will catch the bus which indicates to me that I'm being OTT.

During the lighter months I know that I would let this drift a little later so am I being overly cautious. She's a great kid (50% of the time ) and always offers to get the bus. Am I making a rod for my own back especially as I end up leaving the 10 year old, asleep, but with the 13 year old who is also on the autism spectrum (but next to a phone etc). Would/Do you collect your child or am I being overly worried? What is the latest you would be happy for a 16year old to wait outside a train station in the middle of suburbia for a bus that might come every 20-30 minutes??

I would pick up but not drop others.
Either we pick up from nearest underground station (10 mins round trip at night) or from bus stop depending on where they’ve been (5 mins round trip). It’s a safe area but even I don’t like the walk home late at night.
I am talking after 10pm really when its quiet. .
If I were you I would collect your dd but not her friends if you’re leaving younger ones.

I would pick up rather than let her walk or leave her alone in the bus station waiting for a bus (we have social/safety issues and a lack of security at our local bus station), but if that meant leaving a friend alone I would either drop her home too or wait with her until her parent/bus arrived.

So much of this depends on so many variables.

Even at 18, we still look at each separate situation, and make a decision on a case by case basis.

My dd has sometimes got the bus, sometimes got a lift, (as often as possible) arranged to share lifts with friends - so I would go out once and other parents will go out once, so was never anyone's turn' all the time.
Whether a station or a train, or a bus - where you are always within hearing of the driver - feels safer, seems to vary town to town, City to City.
How confident and how streetwise and how physically strong your dc is, will also vary.