Using public transport as a child

I grew up in London and walked to school from age 5 on my own. I caught the bus sometimes if it was raining from about 7 when I changed school. I walked to and from Brownies on my own in the evening from about age 8.

I was sent home from school by a teacher with a message to tell my mum not to send me back at lunchtime as the snow was bad and I was only 6.
My mum said I was fine and gave me money to get the bus back to school as she didn't believe it was a problem.
My teacher was not happy.

I was a "trainspotter", lived in Wellingborough (Northamptonshire) and at 13 would buy a "Midlands Rover Ticket" that covered from Bedford to Sheffield and across to Peterborough and Doncaster and would spend all day (and some nights) on the trains, getting my "loco numbers". My parents had no problems and that was without mobile phones, just 2p for the phone box in case I needed to call them!

I used to ride my bike aged 10 all over the countryside with my friend for miles our parents didn’t have a clue where we were .Those days no mobile phones and virtually no traffic on roads No front doors locked

At 9 or 10 I used to visit an aunt who lived by a busy road and I used to stand on the roundabout and write down car numbers in my notebook.
I wouldn't let a child do that now.

(What a nerd i must have been!)

I was 8 when I walked to school and back. I lived in a rural area and occasionally my mum would pick me up but that was a rare occurrence. A school friend of mine introduced me to the village bus and clutching the tuppence she lent me I joined her on a couple of occasions as we both got off at the same bus stop but I usually walked most of the way home on my own.

As a child I went to junior school (about 1/3 mile away) on my own, crossing 2 quiet roads, in the 1950’s.
My eldest daughter, aged 6, went off on her bike, around our block of houses (all pavement) aged 6, in 1980’s.
At aged 11 she went off on a bus, to town and back, on own.
Then in 1990 and aged 14, on the train, on her own.

I lived in a big city and close to everything so town centre, beach schools etc. so I began paper rounds which I think was 13 yrs of age, regularly cycled out to the beach around same time (was about 2mile cycle ride) also along the beach. Walking with a friend to town again locally about 1 mile away, sometimes buses, always walked to school, junior school was about 15 min walk, senior school was across the road.
My parents, like many other parents didn’t have a car, so I feel I became quite confident at going out at a young age.
Nightclubs I remember I got in underage, and me .& a friend walked back again about a 2 mile walk along main roads, about 2 in the morning, this was back in mid 70’s, my mum would never get to sleep until she heard me come in. Unlike a lot of youngsters these days get lifts everywhere, I live near a senior school & staggered as to how these children are not walking. Unless they come from over a mile??

Probably about 7. We had to get across London on a bus, and my mother didn't always give us the right fare. That was in the early seventies though, so no one worried about us. The conductor would get cross but never kicked us off. I didn't allow my children to until Year 6 and that was walking to a local school.

I am 67 and I remember going to town on my own on the bus for the first time at 13 I was so excited, my sister worked in the market. I walked to see her, went to Thornton for some sweets and came home. I was so chuffed! My friend and I went to Bridlington for the day on the bus when we wer 14 and a half from York,! I those days , my father worked away and my mum had my little sister to look after. We felt so grown up and were fine. Times seem very different today.

Every July my parents used to put me on the bus in Preston and I would travel to Nottingham to stay with my aunt uncle and cousins for the summer holidays. I’m sure someone in the bus was ‘looking out’ for me but I wasn’t aware of any supervision

I walked to and from school , from a very young age, there was one road to cross , which was busy for the era, mid 60s, it took about 5 mins. When I progressed to senior school the walk was a bit longer, 15 minutes and usually walked it with my friend . I used public transport to visit friends from about 9/10 and was put on a train from Paddington to S. Wales, in the care of the guard and another gentleman passenger at about 11/12. I was quite confident travelling. Thankfully nothing happened to me.

I used to travel by bus, by myself to the nearest town for music lessons and to the childrens' cinema programmes on a Saturday morning. This was before I was 11.

When I went to grammar school I walked to catch a bus (about 15 minutes) to the town where I then caught a train to the county town.

I first went from primary school to my granny’s on the bus when I was seven. The bus went directly. I had a road to cross at each end of the journey, but in 1955, they weren’t very busy. By the time I was ten, my parents both worked, even sometimes in the evening. I was fairly unsupervised, and went off on my bike by myself, often in fairly isolated areas. There were a couple of instances when I might have been in danger, but luckily was unharmed. Recently, I was a bit dubious when my ten year old GD was allowed to go off by herself to a small out of the way park near where they were staying temporarily. A sign of the times.

I lived in a big city and after the first few weeks I walked to and from school myself. Probably about a mile each way. If it was raining I got a penny for the bus. Goodness knows how I knew which bus to get. This was in 1960.

I always walked to school and back on my own. When we moved house the walk was 2.7 miles, not too bad walking there but coming home involved a steep hill on the last leg! No wonder I was skinny! Not now though 😑

I started using buses to get to and from school at 11yrs old soon as I started secondary school. I agree about kids being ferried around my grandchildren are ferried everywhere like precious cargo. 😳

When I lived with my grandparents during the War, I walked 3 miles to the Village school and back again via the milking parlour - to pick up a can of fresh milk - and the bakers - to get freshbread.
My granddaughter used to flyback and forth to Holland from 5 yrs, where she was overseen by the air hostess to go through Customs etc.

I was four. We had to move in with my Grandmother and each morning I was put in the charge of a schoolgirl called Patricia who lived down the road. It was her job to get me on the bus and make sure I got to school, and bring me home in the evening. She was about nine.

I have very clear memories of struggling up the stairs as the bus jerked along the road, desperately trying to keep up with Patricia. Getting off the bus was worse.

I walked to local school alone from age 7/8 and home again, no problem. I went on the buses to local areas alone from age 11. From age 13/14 I would travel to local train station get a ticket and travel into Paddington station then get the tube to Kilburn where my cousins lived usually I stayed overnight and travelled home the next day. I was confident travelling on trains and tube and never had any problems.

I walked to primary school an my own at the age of 5 in East London. I was supposed to walk with her but she always met up with her friends. At age 4 and 5 my sister and I used to go to Grandparents on a bus by ourselves, dad would take us to the bus stop and we know which number bus to get on. and first journey alone was all the way to Hull in Yorkshire on the train, cganging at Doncaster when we were aged 3 and 4. Dad put us on the train, the guard ensured our changeover at Doncaster went smoothly and our aunts met us at Paragon station in Hull.

We lived down a long country lane, 2 miles from school, and up to the age of eight the school taxi took us.

When reaching eight we cycled the distance, whatever the weather! There were three of us riding side by side down a narrow path, one of us wobbling and knocking us all off our bikes.

It’s so frightening listening to some of you ladies going out on your own at the age of 5
My youngest grandson is that age and none of us would dream of leaving him go outside the house on his own he’s just a baby
There were evil people around in those days too look at the Moors Murders for example.

At age 7. I was put on a bus to go and visit an aunt, going from Lancashire to Wolverhampton. I was sat next to an elderly lady who was not too happy to be expected to look after a strange child. Not an onerous task as I was a quiet, well behaved child. The driver knew where I had to get off. I don't remember coming home so I don't know if I did the journey in reverse or if my parents came to collect me.
Living on the first street of council houses built after the war, all the houses had children. We all played out as a group, going into town and the coast. and over the fields to the next town. Walking ,cycling , rollerskating and sometimes on the local bus. Great fun until age 11 then just lots of homework from Grammar school, to which I walked or cycled .

Taking the plunge and attempting my first post on here!
I’ve almost finished Wayfinding by Michael Bond, a fascinating book dealing with navigating, getting lost and so on. His statistics show that a child’s ‘home range’ - the distance from home they are allowed to roam while playing by themselves - has declined over the last two to three generations in every country where it has been measured, in some cases by more than 90%. The number of assaults, abductions etc on children has declined significantly in the last three decades, but the perception of ‘stranger danger’ has skyrocketed.

I think we just played outside till we were hungry, but so few children now seem to be allowed anywhere by themselves.