In my country (italy) kids usually go to school with their bikes or the parents drive us to school. But some kids take the bus. We don’t have a school bus, but students take a normal city line bus and every school has a bus stop in front of it. I know that teenagers (16+) in America drive to school, but I was wondering how the youngers kids usually get there
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Walk, car, bike, bus
School bus, walk, bike, dropped off by parents.
School bus, walking, parents driving them, a friend’s parent might drive them, biking, public transportation in large cities…
Drive, get driven, bike, walk, bus, trebuchet
Depends on the family situation and distance to school and level of funding and support for the school district
When I lived in NYC I usually walked to school if it was close enough, otherwise I took the school bus. When I got to high school, my school was on the other side of town so I took the city bus.
When I moved to a different state, the school bus was the primary way I went to school, or my parent would drive me if I missed the school bus.
In college, I lived on campus for most of the time and just walked to class. If I had class at the other campus, I would take the college provided bus service to get there. Once I got a car, I drove myself everywhere and moved off campus as it was cheaper to do so.
>I know that teenagers (16+) in America drive to school
Most teens don’t drive themselves to school much less have a car of their own to do so. Only 0.2% of 18-24 year olds in America own a car. Teens between 15 – 17 have a much lower ownership rate. They might borrow a parents car to get to school but that is also not the norm.
https://www.statista.com/statistics/1041145/us-car-owners-by-age-group/
I’m in the North East (Massachusetts) and the weather can be a factor here. We gave both of our kids rides but there was always a school bus they could ride. The problem is that if you want to take the school bus, you need to get up about an hour earlier because they pick the kids up very early. Early morning and mid afternoon traffic is plagued by school busses. It can be a problem.
We also have after school sports busses that run until about 5:00 for the kids that stay after for games and practice.
Most of our kids’ friends also got rides to school from their parents.
They take the school bus, they walk, they bike, their parents drop them off. Just depends on the family.
The neighborhood elementary school my kid is going to go to when he’s older (assuming we still live here I guess) is about a mile away. Traffic gets so insanely backed up with the drop off line that it probably wouldn’t take that much more time if I just strolled over there with him lol.
School buses, walk, ride bikes, parents drive them.
For kindergarten to third grade, I went to school in another small town a few miles away from my small town, so I got picked up by a yellow school bus. Grades 4-8 I went to schools within walking distance, so I usually walked but sometimes biked. 9-12 I went to a high school a bit further away, but close enough that no school bus service was offered for my neighborhood. I biked, rode with my older sister who could drive or another student or their parent who lived nearby, or one of my parents took me. Occasionally I walked, especially to get home, but it took long enough that I didn’t usually have time in the morning. My last year of high school I either drove myself and my younger sister, or if the weather was nice enough I biked.
School bus
> We don’t have a school bus
So you know what a school bus is. You answered your own question.
I mean some kids walk, some kids ride their bike/skateboard/etc, and some kids drive or get rides.
School buses are run by the school district. They might pick you up at an assigned location (like a bus stop), or pick you in front of your house. It varies by municipality. But there are specific traffic laws regarding speed and stopping distance from school buses, and if they are picking up kids and you try to pass you will get a ticket.
But school buses are for students of that school district only. I’d be appalled at the idea of sending my child on a public bus, especially as early as 5 or 6 years old… Buses are the cheapest form of public transport, used by the least discriminate. I wouldn’t want ANY unsanctioned adult on the bus with my child, let alone addicts and criminals who don’t answer to the school. It absolutely blows my mind that Europeans are ok with putting little kids on a public bus alone with adult strangers.
Grade school: yellow school bus
Middle school: walked
High school: yellow school bus until I got my license
Some kids rode bikes, some kids got a ride from their parents
“I know that teenagers (16+) in America drive to school,”
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What? At most it’s less than half, the rest get driven, walk, or bike.
School buses or being dropped off by car by parents/relatives/family friends. The most common way since America is so big and driving is a big part of the culture both culturally/infrastructure wise.
Walking and biking are another option but that highly depends on where you live. The closer you are to the school, the more likely. Although certain places like big cities might not be possible due to crime.
Bus by majority. Then people that drive themselves or are driven by parents. In big cities city bus may replace school bus
The 16+ kids driving themselves is an idea exaggerated by movies, it’s a minority of students that do that. Like out of my 500 person class, only about 30 actually drove themselves. Most kids don’t have their own cars in high schools
When I was a kid in a small town, the school bus (the yellow ones “from movies”) would pick up any kid that lived outside of the city limits and more than 5 miles from the school.
When my kids were in school in a larger city the school buses would only pick up any kid that lived within 2 miles of the school.
So, the exact opposite.
Now, my kids go to school in the suburbs and the school bus will pick up any kid that needs/wants it (as long as they live “in district”).
school bus, walk, driven by parents, drive on their own (if old enough). I took the school bus to and from school almost every day
Subway and bus. Walking if you’re close enough (aka if you go to your zoned school). Nearly no other way in NYC for the average student.
Walk 9 miles in the snow uphill both ways
As a teen, I still rode the bus. I only ever drove to school for some of the last days leading up to graduation.
School Buses were the name of the game in my area.
In general, if the kid lives within a short distance of the school, he/she walks or bikes. If they live farther away, they take the yellow bus. Lots of parents drive their kids to school…like, so many that the school will hire a police officer to direct traffic. There’s a general sense in many areas, that since the school district is required to provide education to every student, that the school district is also required to provide transportation for each student, even if it means a long bus ride.
In some cities with robust public transportation, the kids might use that.
Parents driving them, walking, biking, or the infamous yellow school bus.
My kid rides the bus.
My good friend from college who grew up in Manhattan and she walked and took the subway. Her brother had a shared car ride with a car service that took four kids and dropped them off because the parents didn’t want him taking the subway to Brooklyn by himself.
I used to take a school bus and then got driven by my parents. Then when I got my license (I’m the oldest kid) I drove my siblings to school.
Another friend just walked to school. It was like a ten minute walk.
One of my good friends from college also walked in Maine in all weather and it was really like a solid mile and a half. He’s the only one I’ll let say he walked two miles both ways up hill in the snow.
In my hometown, they ride the school bus or their parents/older siblings drive them to school.
I drive me some to school in my lifted F250, we usually stop at the firing range before school though so he can practice. He’s 6.
Same basic mix, only often there isn’t a transit bus system so they take a dedicated school bus.
There are really only so many ways to go from a to b.
Parents or bus
So here in California. The vast majority are driven by parents or drive once they are of age. Carpooling is common. Then for kids who live close, walking is common. Then I would say perhaps there are the kids who use the school bus but its a small number of kids. Then the lowest would be kids who ride a bike.
If the district is big enough, a bus picks them up. Many school districts have their own buses. Those that don’t may pay for a school bus company, or not bother at all, leaving the parents to drive them, or the kids to walk/bike/whatever.
I used to walk to my bus stop (half mile) and take an hour bus ride to school.
Most kids ride the school bus. Even kids over 16. Not every kid gets their own car right away, and most schools have limited parking and can’t give parking permits to every student who has a car. (And some states don’t give a drivers license until you’re 17.)