What do you think about a 9 year old boy taking the city bus (by himself) to school?

Question

We live in a mid-sized city, and he would be taking the morning bus about a five or ten minute ride straight down the street about two miles. He's in 4th grade. Is he too young or do we coddle our kids too much?

Answer 1

I think hes a little bit young to travel the bus alone no matter how short the distance is. At that age he is not capable of confronting a problem and being able to deal with it. example, the bus is late, he misses his stop, he forgets something on the bus. If your going to let him take the bus alone, perhaps getting him a cellphone or beeper would be wise. In a small city such as windsor, canada, sure however for a larger cities such as toronto, or montreal...i dunno
I started taking the bus alone @ 14

Answer 2

I did something similar to that myself, and enjoyed it quite a bit.

The advice to make friends with the bus driver is a good, as is 'wait with him at the bus stop.' You'll want to do a lot of practice runs with him, but there shouldn't be any problem. (If you're really worried, though, have a friend he's not familiar with get on at a stop before him when he's first alone, and observe.)

Assuming the bus is not one of those 'scum shovels' that starts at Ghetto A and ends in Blighted Industrial Area X, or carries a full load of really rowdy high school students, and there are no major streets to cross, there isn't much to worry about. Still, don't they make what are more or less mobile phones for tots now, with just a few buttons for emergency calls to the parents and similar? Couldn't hurt.

The key might not be so much the city as the bus route itself. I notice a few comments here along the lines of 'my city is too dangerous,' and the opposite. When I did it, for a few months in grade three (new house...), the bus I took was a quiet one -- no high school kids; mostly just commuters.

Answer 3

What I would do if I had to send my child on the bus is i would notify the driver and let them know that he will be riding solo in the mornings and afternoons. I would tell my child to sit either directly behind the driver or in that first row of seating in order for them to not have issues with other passengers and or finding a seat.

When I was in first grade I was walking to school bymyself. But in todays world there is so much going on im not sure if I would let my children do it now. I guess it also depends on where you live but just cause its a quiet place dosent mean the crazies wont be there looking to stay low.

If the ride is only 5 or 10 minutes then i dont see why a ride cannot be provided for your child. That way you are not worrying and there is no opportunity for something bad to happen.

Answer 4

I think that you already know the answer to that question. I think that if you felt totally comfortable in the decision to send your son on the city bus then you wouldn't feel the need to ask anyone what they thought about it. If he was with someone else it would be better but you'd still probably worry - so sending him by himself - I think, is not an option. Coddling really isn't what it would be - your just "Protecting" him! Good Luck!!

Answer 5

I have a 9yr old daughter, I live in Atlanta GA and I can not begin to imagine my daughter on the city bus here by herself! With crime etc and then from a maturity standpoint, that just seems like a very young age to give a "child" that kind of responsibility. And even beyond that, to many child predators looking for opportunities to approach unattended children!

Answer 6

I live in the UK,my son is 10 and there's no way I would let him take a bus on his own and we live in a pretty safe area. He walks to school either by himself or with friends but we only live 5 minutes away.

Answer 7

Absolutely NOT!!! Do you watch the news? A school bus is one thing. But a city bus is another! You don't know who your child will be riding next to. Not mention, he wouldn't be aware of his own surroundings. Until he can defend himself from a 250 lb beast, the answer should be NO.

Answer 8

It depends on the city, and where the bus goes. Kids in New York take public transportation at an early age; I didn't start until I was 13 Maybe you could take it with him - letting him do the fare, see if he knows how to deal with getting off at the right stop - once or twice to see if he's ready to do it on his own.

Answer 9

Does he have to wait at the bus stop without adult supervision? How far des he have to wa;lk when he gets off the bus.

The best thing he could do is talk to the bus driver everyday and get to know him or her. That way you have a responsible adult looking out for him while on the bus.

I really think it depends on your child and how street smart he is and if he knows how to react to people who are inappropriate.

Answer 10

Depends on your child and the bus driver. There are too many variables that you have no control over. We have to expose our kids to some stuff just to teach them what to do. If the driver is constant and you can introduce yourself, I'd say yes. If the driver changes often I'd say no, even if your child seems to be ready to handle it. Drivers have a lot to do with the climate of their bus.