Using public transport as a child

I walked to my junior school and from the age of 11, caught the bus to and from my senior school or walked. I acquired a bicycle when I was thirteen and then the world was my oyster At weekends if we weren’t cycling, a group of us would catch a train at the local station (pre Beeching) and get off somewhere in the glorious Hope Valley to go hiking, or a bus if it was off the train route. We had an amazing amount of freedom in those days and there wasn’t the amount of traffic to contend with if you were cycling. The Peak District is stuffed to the gunwales with cars now summer and winter alike. I’d be terrified to ride a bike anywhere these days.

I walked to infant and Junior school, and cycled to grammar school. I was allowed to go on the bus to nearby towns at 10. I went to visit friends in SWales at the age of twelve. Train from Paddington and met at Cardiff, but the long journey on my own. At college we often hitched lifts to save money,.

essjay

aged 5 was walking to school without an adult, walked with friend 6 months older than me, travelled by bus at 7, a 20 minute journey followed by a 15-20 minute walk down a busy high street, couldn't see my grandchildren coping with this

Would you be happy with your 5 year old grandchild walking to school as you did? These days if a child was snatched in those circumstances those responsible for that child would be hung, drawn and quartered.

My first school was in quite a rural village abd we lived a mile away. I either walked or rode my pink fairy cycle 2 wheeler on the pavement (or so my mother thought!) If I walked, we usually came home via the woods (my mother didn't know about that either) which was very scary.

At age 7, I used to go to my Nan's by bus. The bus stop was a mile away from us and a mile away from my Nan's at the other end. I used to take my 4 tear old brother with me sometimes.

Age 10 I used to travel into Soho from Hackney on bus and tube to meet my older sister or father for lunch. My mother sent me because she wanted me to know my way around. From 7 I walked to and from school through the estate on my own. DC walked home from primary school aged 10 and 7and both travelled to secondary school independently by bus and tube. Her’s the most shocking - aged 8 DD decided to go and visit her aunt in New York and travelled on her own. We took her to the airport and handed her over to a person who accompanied her to the plane.

Like Redhead56 , I lived on the outskirts of Liverpool near farmland and the same car factory . We used to play on the site of the factory before it was built when it was fields and ponds and we were about 6 years old . There were usually a gang of about 10 girls and boys and felt quite safe.
When we were about 10 we used to get the bus to Garston to the swimming baths , and from 11 I would get the bus on my own to my grammar school . This was also when my friend and I would get the bus into Liverpool occasionally.

Starting from about the age of 11 and living in the north east I was regularly put on the overnight train to Kings Cross which arrived; in those days, before the underground opened. Probably a friendly guard was tasked to keep an eye on me. Memory is hazy but I think I probably had to wait around for my uncle to arrive to escort me to my final destination of Greenford. Glad I didn’t have to negotiate that bit alone!

Another Inner-London child here, and I was buying "Red Rover" tickets at weekends from the age of 10 to travel all over London and beyond with my friend from primary school. We used to go to South Kensington to the big Museums, to the City and out to the "Country" in Chigwell to wander around Epping Forest. Happy days!

I'd also visit my Aunt who worked in a local department store...with a well known statue outside

That would be Lewis - nothing to do with John Lewis. The statue was a naked man with all his tackle showing. We girls used to go upstairs on the 500 bus to get a good look as it passed. You got a very different view from that on the ground.

I got an evening job working in a Greek chip shop when I was 14 going on 15. I worked there on and off for several years, even after I began full time in the civil service. I was quite well paid for the time and of course it was cash in hand. One thing I quickly learned was how to cope with folks who came in a bit merry from the pub. I used to upsell them all kinds of extra stuff. If they asked for fish and chips I would ask if they wanted a drink as well. Or some peas. I was good at selling even then.

The chip shop was only 5 minutes walk from where we lived so we had a fish and chip supper several times a week.

We moved from outer London when I was nine and on the first day at my new school my mother crossed the road and took me to the bus stop to catch the bus. She actually took me to the school on the first day and it was literally a new school as the caretaker was still putting up wallpaper in the hall way just before we went in. My mother carried on crossing me over the road until I went on to grammar schools at 11 but by then it was probably more for the company of the other Mums she met at the bus stop.

When I changed schools I walked to the station for about 15 minutes, caught a train, crossed a main road and caught a trolley bus and then on to the school. Once when the trolley buses were on strike the nuns told all of us who usually caught them that we were allowed to thumb for lifts but only if there were two of us! Can you imagine that being allowed now?

From the age of about six to nine before we moved I caught a bus with my older sister nominally in charge. As I realise now that my sister was on the Autistic spectrum I’m not sure who was in charge of who.

Thank you for this thread biglouis, it has brought back a lot of memories and I also looked up one of the places that I used to play as a small child.
Near my grandmother’s house in Ashford was Fordbridge.By the small river Ford you could easily get down to the bank to play and pick flowers nearby. It has changed a bit now! But I don’t think my mother ever knew about the river escapades. She could remember walking back from Laleham to the river at Ashford bowling a hoop!

When I was 7, I walked after school to my music teacher's house and after the lesson, I had to cross the road (quiet and residential - hardly any cars in the 40s), walk over a railway bridge and wait at the bus stop, for the 15 minute ride home. My uncle owned one of the local bus companies, so many of the 'conductresses' knew me and kept an eye on me. In winter, this all took place in the dark. Now I look back, I wonder how I'd feel if one of my DGC had been doing the same in this decade.

What experiences we have had and lived to tell the tale. More by luck than design in some cases!
Esmay your scary stories reminded me of several of mine in London in the 1960s. Being followed across the common on a foggy evening was one plus several times being exposed to by men on trains.

My DGD was allowed to walk to school at 11 and she would meet her friend on the way. DGS at 16 has been allowed much more freedom than his cousin.

Monica the indignity of being an unaccompanied minor. I can remember sitting under the stairs, I think it was Terminal 4 but it could have been 3, with my badge on. I was 11 for heavens sake and felt that I could manage on my own!
Actually it was trickier to use the bus than fly, I could have easily got on the wrong bus, not quite so simple to get on the wrong plane. There used to be about 4 stops between HR and HK in the ‘olden’ days.
I also used the buses in HK from about ten but I always had a friend with me. My DS and I were delighted when we went for a holiday about 15years ago to discover the buses still ran the same routes so got around really easily.
When I was with a different sister about 6 years ago I was amazed that her step DD had never been on a bus at 21. She does use the trains and tubes around London though.

Grammaretto - I also grew up in the London suburbs and had several unpleasant experiences mainly on trains if alone .
Men exposing themselves or worse was frequent . Being touched up was another .
I've also been followed .
You just learn to deal with it or you'd never go out .

I was 11 when I travelled by bus and then changed to the underground as it was quicker. Had this journey to school and my parents couldn’t take me and it never occurred to me they would. From then I travelled all over London for various reasons meeting friends visiting art galleries, feeding pigeons in Trafalgar Square with feed purchased there. Yes we led dangerous lives in those days !!! But we didn’t know it.

I think by 8 I was walking home from my school to my father's workplace - there were only side roads to cross though but think the big change came at 10 when I went to grammar school which was a longish (40mins?) bus ride away. I travelled alone and only one bus an hour. If I missed the one back I could get a different one that meant I walked home about an extra 1½ miles or took the shortcut through a churchyard and woodland.

I think I was 9 or 10 when I was put on a train to visit my aunt in the Isle of Wight. A friend of the family crossed me over London and put me on the next train.

My children used to go from the Midlands on a train to Dorset occasionally to visit grandparents but there were always two of them.

Around the age of 7 for me, I would get on the bus to travel about 2 miles, if my Uncle was on (he was a bus conductor) you know with the proper ticket machine round his neck,

I would give him my bus fair(think it was a sixpence or something) then when he gave me my ticket in my hand he would give me the sixpence back .I would then be off to the toffee shop to look at the Penny tray.

One time I had my 2 wheeled scooter and the bus conductor (not my Uncle) said " you cant bring that on" so I had to scoot the 2 miles on my scooter.

I do think parents are (probably with a degree of reason) a lot more protective now than they were a few decades ago.

But I do remember being shocked in the very early 90s that a schoolfriend of a dd was not allowed, at 12 or 13, to go shopping in town without a parent.

I was probably too much the other way! When they were no more than 13, dd2 and a schoolfriend announced that they wanted to take a day trip to Calais, on their own! They wanted an adventure, and to practise their French.

My initial reaction, ditto of the other mother, was a firm NO! - but after an awful lot of agonising, we gave in. The trip involved a train from outer SW London, into the centre, across London, train to Dover, and foot passenger tickets to Calais.
And this was well before everyone had mobile phones.

You can imagine our exhortations of Stay Together! Keep your money and passport safe! etc., and all parents having kittens until they were safely back.
But there was no trouble, and they thoroughly enjoyed their ‘adventure’.

I’d never have allowed it now! Calais is a very different proposition from what it was then.

I walked to primary school - mile there and mile back.

I used buses on my own from the age of 5.

As you might already have guessed I am grandma age .....

My children did not do much on their own as far as school journeys were concerned as we live rurally with no public transport; but I did take them to the pedestrian precinct of our nearest city and let them loose there with a bit of cash on their pockets from the age of about 7.

I cycled to grammar school and back in the summer months from the age of 11, none of my friends did and it was rather a lonely journey across a common for part of the way.

I was 11 when I started using buses. I would use them still if a reasonable service existed in the South West.

My Gdcs’ school doesn’t allow them to go to and from school on their own until (IIRC) year 5. Which will be Gdd1 next year, but AFAIK they’re not allowed to accompany younger siblings (of which there will then be two) so that’s going to be a fat lot of use.

It’s roughly a 15 minute walk, with one busy road to cross, but there’s a proper pedestrian crossing very close to the school.
TBH I’d trust Gdd1 now anyway, but probably not Gds (7) - something of a human hurricane - more than once I’ve had to remind him to LOOK! even when using a proper crossing, because some drivers are bad enough to ignore red lights.

I think a lot of it depends on the child. By the time he was six DS had shown that he was quick thinking and sensible when he acted quickly and correctly in minor emergencies. DD at the same age was far more likely to panic. I certainly wouldn't have expected DS to be able to control his sister, if they were out together, she was far too wilful. Whereas at similar ages, my younger sister would literally cling to me and look to me for leadership and protection.

My grandmother told me she walked 3 miles to school. There were no tram routes in that direction. She showed me pictures of her in an ankle length dress with a white pinafore over it, black stockings and lace up boots. Each girl carried her lunch in a little bowl tied up in a hanky. One day she fell in the playground and put huge holes in the knees of her stockings. Unfortunately the teacher only had blue thread so she got a telling off when she got home.

My mother passed the scholarship to grammar school but couldn't go as it was too far to walk, there was no bus and her parents couldn't afford to buy her a bicycle.
Instead she stayed at the village school and ended up helping to teach the infants when she was 14.