Using public transport as a child

I walked to infant school on my own with a friend from the second week of school.

At the age of perhaps 6 I was sent on my own to my aunt in Cornwall on the train which involved a change at Oakhampton from Plymouth.

I also frequently visited my grandmothers home on my own at the age of 6 which involved 2 buses, crossing a main road and a walk through a dodgy council estate.

I spent hours roaming the countryside (all day sometimes if I had a packed lunch)

Looking back, I had total freedom.

alone - by train from aged 6 (in the care of the guard) met at station by teacher.

My husband aged 5 by bus with 2 changes en route!!!

both in rural Kent

I was taking the bus home from school alone (3 mile journey) from about 6.

I once missed the usual bus (dawdling) and didn’t realise that there’d be another if I waited.
So I walked home, probably dawdling again, stopping to look in the pet shop I’d passed so many times on the bus.

Goodness knows how long it took me - my poor mother was frantic!

I regularly walked the three quarters of a mile to/from school alone from 6 or 7 years old. Half of it through a dark, wooded area, quite often alone.
I occasionally caught a bus home.

Certainly by ten/eleven, I was allowed to take a bus across the moors with a friend to the nearest small town with a swimming pool. I remember us walking the 3 miles home, having spent our return fare on sweets, but I probably didnt tell my mum about that.
I was allowed to take a bus to my grandma's by then, too - she lived just over 3 miles away, but the bus took a long route that I think took at least 40 minutes, then a ten minute walk.

By 12, I was allowed (with some reluctance to begin with from my mum) to go alone to the nearest large town, about 5 miles away. I loved that freedom to go around the shops on my own!
To be honest, I couldn't (and still can't) understand her reluctance on that one, as we were pretty much free-range children locally long before that age and doing far riskier things closer to home on a regular basis!

These things would have been in the late '60s/early '70s, as I started secondary school in '72.

I'm not suggesting that it would be wise to give young children so much freedom nowadays, as things are very different.
For a start, it was rare to see any men out and about back then beween 9 -5, as the vast majority of people worked very predictable hours, and the roads were very quiet for the same reason.
And it was very rare for children to set out to hurt other children. Yes, there were occasional scuffles between groups of boys, but these things were generally very minor, it wasnt usual to carry around some kind of weapon, or to set out with the intention of seriously injuring anyone as seems to be increasingly common nowadays.

However, despite these changes in society, I do think that some of today's parents are overprotective of their children to the point where it could affect their confidence and independence long term.

My mummy took me to school when I was absolutely desperate to be allowed to go on my own.

Then, when I was finally allowed, I wasn't to go upstairs in case any "rough kids" were there...
(And because it made my socks really dirty)

Difficut to generalise, I lived in in 10 or 11 locations in 4 different countries. But by secondary school age. I was traveling on public transport in Hong Kong and Singapore , and when we came back to England my sister and I travelled on buses and trains including multiple changes to and from boarding school at half term and term ends.

At 13 and 15 my sister and I were making international flights, nominally under th1e charge of a member of the cabin crew, but effectively left ot our own devices.

I started my children out on their own at 11. We moved to a town, just a mile from the town centre, railway station etc. I walked the 2 children, 9 and 11 into town and brought them back on the bus. The 9 year old had to wait to be 11 to go down alone. At 12 I put DS on a train tot ravel 4 stops to see a friend. First time His mother met hom and the same when the frined made the trip. After that they managed on their own.

Of course all this was happening before mobile phones.

To and from Junior school on my own, either by bus or could keep the fare if I walked.
My dog needed walking - my dog so my job - before and after school regardless of daylight - we walked many many miles over the years! Some Summer mornings I'd walk her 5 miles or so over the hills before school, but always a good walk around the park before school and a proper walk in the evening.

As a young teenager I discovered long distance cycling and so off I went round the country lanes, often clocking up 100 or so miles in a day.
No mobile phones of course but most of the adults in my family were local teachers and also active in various church communities. My brother and I soon learned that we were recognised by many people. Useful if we needed help, (not that I remember doing so), not so great for getting up to mischief!

We lived in the country far from our school. Some unfortunate students had to board, Dad drove us to and from school. I did the same with ours.

I usually went to school by car and rarely by bus until age 11 .
Then , my parents decided to move and chose my school accordingly .
We didn't move .
I joined a group of five girls , who did the journey by train .
It was fine .
But one day , I was delayed by my art teacher and missed them .
A guy followed me on the High Street before making sexual advances .
I was as green as grass , but knew that it was wrong and was frightened .
When I got home - I told my Grandma and the police were called .
They asked me what he said /did and then , asked to describe him .
I can show you where he works .
When I told them -they exchanged glances and said , we know him and then told my parents that it would never happen again .

And it didn't !

It knocked my confidence about going out on my own .
It took me two years to go on a train by myself .
The first time that I did I shook like a leaf .
The memory of it is so clear that I can remember what I wore and which shop I went to and what I bought .

I'd get in the ladies only carriage if a lady or ladies were seated .

Aged 15 , I was nearly raped on the train -but I'd learnt to be street wise and promised to meet the guy later , because it wasn't private .

I lived in a country area - 1.5 miles to school, so from age 5 went on the bus with another girl also my age without adults supervising us. Bus would stop near the school (not a regular bus stop) and conductor would see us over the road to the school - return journey, bus would stop for us outside school and either my parent or other girl's parent would meet us off the bus - was a very busy A road to cross. Started school in 1949.
From around 8 or 9 years old, we'd regularly explore local country lanes and footpaths and farm tracks, as a group of about 4 or 5 of us, were just told to stay together. From age 11 had to cycle to school about 7 miles away - first two miles on my own on busy A road then met up with friends for the rest of the way. In winter (December and January only) - we did get a bus provided but had to walk over a mile to get it.

My Mum and other mums had a rota to walk a group of us to and from the Infants School which was in another village. Junior school was a different site and a few of us from the same street walked to and from school.
I then started Grammar School and walked a fair distance from home to get a bus that went closer to the school.
My DDs went to schools 25 miles away and I drove them both ways.
My friend picks both her DGC up from school every night. They are 15 and 11 and I know they could easily walk home.

I think the big difference between now and when I was wandering around by myself (1940s/50s) is traffic. We lived not far from a town, but where we were was mostly fields and woods.. Cars were extremely rare on our road. (We had one, but it was unusual.) I honestly don’t think there are any more ‘peculiar men’ around now that there were then. The difference is that then they couldn’t lure/force you into a car.

At 11 I used to frequently travel into Liverpool city centre from Everton, to get the shopping that mum needed from st Johns market or coopers. The numbers 19 or 26 bus. The double decker buses were always full and frequent

At 7 I used to walk to brownies at the primary school, through thomas whites blocks of flats. Also walked to school the same way before I was old enough for brownies, maybe 6 years old. I never had any bad encounters

Happy carefree memories, our Mums took us to school on the first day and then we walked. Brownies on the bus, a short ride but only seven years old! It sounds bonkers in light of today’s world but it was nothing out of the ordinary then. I fully understand parents worrying about youngsters now.

At 11 I got the bus to high school

I have it on good authority, my DF's diary, that I was put on the bus to school aged 5 but didn't get off at the right stop so was thought too young stupid to be allowed again. I was kept off school until the following term.

My own boys aged 10 and 8 went successfully from Edinburgh to East Suffolk by train with 2 changes to spend a few weeks with their DGP who ran a B&B..
They went each Summer for a few years and had plenty of adventures.

I can remember walking the mile home from Brownies with a friend thought a dark churchyard on a dark, wet, winter's evening. It seemed a good idea at the time, as the route along pavements would have been longer. That was creepy though - I don't think we did it more than once!
To be fair, my dad would usually have collected me after dark, but he must have been unavailable that particular time.

A friend of mine, aged 6 was sent to visit her grandmother, who lived 100 miles away.

Her father took her ot the station with her suit case and a label on her saying where she was going. She was handed over to the guard, who kept her in the guards van with him for the whole journey to make sure she was safe and at the relevant station he handed her to her grandmother, who was waiting for her.

She said she had a lovely time and the guard was kind and gave her sweeties. She came to no harm at all.

I can't remember the age but it must have been young . My parents never had a car. I do remember going on holiday by train to Plymouth from Birmingham at the age of 9 by myself. I was met at the other end by my uncle .

I was horse mad as a child and we didn't have a car, so I would get two buses each way to the stables and back again. Once I got off the bus, I had to walk down a very long, steep and narrow road to the stables itself, and I did it at all times of the year and in all weathers, so sometimes it would be dark by the time I was coming home. I would probably be about 9 or 10 at the time.

I walked to school alone from the age of 4. It took me all of 10 seconds as I lived in the adjacent schoolhouse. Dad was the "dominie" of a very small isolated primary school in rural Scotland.

In winter I envied a boy who lived on a farm. When the snow was deep he rode to school bareback on a Clydesdale carthorse, which found its own way home!

After we moved to a village schoolhouse I cycled or walked everywhere from about the age of 8. School buses took us the 7 miles to secondary school so from the age of 11 I was happy to travel by regular buses on my own. I was tall for my age and always had a confrontation with the driver about being eligible for the child's fare.

I lived in a small market town surrounded by countryside and farm land. I was sent to the shops with my Mum's shopping list from the age of 7.
From about that age I was allowed to ride my bike and roller skate around the roads and footpaths of our estate. There was very little traffic as only a few people had a car so it was very safe.
I had a lovely free childhood.

Cont.
I walked to school from 4 years old. 5 minutes to the infant/junior school and 15 minutes to the secondary school.
I was allowed to use the bus by myself from age 13, as long as I was going to the city with friends or cousins.

When I started school I was 4 and after a few years we moved to the other end of town 3 miles away I was 7 so I was put on the bus sat near the door and the bus conductor was asked to keep an eye on me My Nan who lived near my school picked me up at 4 o’clock gave me tea and Dad picked me up at 6pm when he finished work and put me on the bus while he cycled behind it and picked me up at the other end

I will be absolutely honest and say unless you are in a large city, ensuring your children learn to drive when they are17 is much more likely to promote independence.