Children travelling alone on public transport

I caught two buses to senior school at age 11, my children walked to their schools, our grandchildren are not on a bus route to school, so they’re driven most of the way.
Both of my children caught the bus to further education, including interview days, our granddaughter will do the same in September
There was far less car ownership in the late 1950’s and early 1960’s, certainly far fewer women drivers, I’m not sure if public transport was better.

I was about 7. I was very street wise by 12 as we were allowed to play out all day sometimes and had a lot of freedom. Feel sorry for children today, ferried everywhere by car, no real freedom to speak off, seem to live their lives on the internet. We used to cycle everywhere as roads were not busy as they are now, we built camps in the woods, about 8 of us, learnt team building that way. There is safety in numbers. Children played outside in the street, not safe now, you hear such things.

I walked about threequarters of a mile to my junior school from the age of 7. We all walked and I think I was the furthest away from the school so started out alone and then friends joined with me as I got to their houses. At 11 I had passed the 11+ and then walked about the same distance to the railway station and took the train about 15 miles to Beverly where I went to the grammar school. This again entailed different groups of girls getting on at different stations. But we knew most of the people in our home area and any adult would have come across to check if I was alright if I was seen with any stranger etc. When I was 9 whilst still in the juniors I was also put in charge of my younger sister who had come up from the infants and so it was my job to be sure that she got to her class looking reasonably tidy and ready for lessons and then I went on to my own class. Absolutely no thought of being given rides in cars etc.

I had just turned 15 and travelled alone on bus, train, ferry to Ostend, and two more trains to Germany. On return a few weeks later travelled up to London every day to full time work in central London.
From the age of about 12 was travelling by bus or train to the swimming pool, cinema, friends etc and from about 6 walked about 1.5 miles alone to school.
My gd nearly 15 is now allowed to catch a train a few stops along the line.

We were discussi, who ng children and travelling at the weekend. We decided that DGS is 14 and well used to travelling around his home town on public transport should make his first long distance rail journey this summer. His parents will see him onto the train one end and 150 miles later his aunt will meet him at her station.

I travelled on public transport to secondary school at 11.
I think most parents ferry their children around nowdays.
We drove my youngest son to all of his University choices except one, Reading, we were unable to attend so he travelled on his own via train. When he got his results, guess which one he chose Reading, the only one we hadn't accompanied him to.
Offered him a small scholarship so think that helped.

One of my London granddaughters couldn’t wait to travel alone on 2 buses when she started secondary school. Her mother agreed but soon realised that her 11 year old was disappearing into darkness at 7.15 on autumn mornings. When Covid arrived they had to travel to school by car and have done that ever since.
The world has changed 100% for the worse since we were children and their safety is paramount.

About 12. Different times I guess.

During the day it seems ok but at night or after dark I wouldn’t be comfortable sending a young child on a bus or train alone these days. Things are definitely more dangerous now. We never, ever,had incidents with knives when I was young and I can’t ever remember anyone being robbed on public transport.

I'm another who spent journeys in the guards van. The only thing I really remember are big wicker boxes full of homing pigeons.
The station master at our little local station would take pity on us frozen schoolchildren when it was freezing and the train was late. He'd let us into his warm little room with it's coal fire to thaw out, and this was the era of Ian Brady and Myra Hindley.

I got the bus to school from age 5.

My first journey on a bus was with a school friend at the end of school and I was about 10. She encouraged me to give it a try and I was really excited. My parents didn't seem too bothered. We lived in a village where everyone knew everyone else so it wasn't difficult.
When I went to college in London I was based in digs and had to catch a bus to different areas every day for work experience. I would have been 16/17 years old at the time. Looking at the situation today it's changed and a bit worrying

I first travelled by public transport when I was about 10 and I’d get the bus to a local outdoor swimming pool . At 11 I’d get the bus to school , a normal bus not a school bus .
My AC used buses and trains to get to secondary school , so would have been 11 also and obviously used public transport to see friends.
We did take our AC to uni open days as we were interested in where they wanted to go. Plus they found it helpful to have feedback on courses, the uni and the town /city . Especially when trying to make decisions about their choices . All of their friends had their parents with them .
I enjoyed going on open days, it was lovely to have separate time with each child and I enjoyed seeing cities I’d never been to .
By the time of uni open days both my AC were used to public transport and had experienced their first holidays with friends getting coaches to Cornwall (DS) and flying to Spain (DD).

M0nica - I also spent a journey in the guards van!
Can't remember where I was going exactly but believe it was Manchester to London.

I lived on a very large council estate in Essex. For primary school, we were 'bussed' into the closest town. For secondary schools we were more scattered. My Grammar school had few there from the estate, and involved a long walk and then either a bus or a train. Obviously done totally by myself both my parents were working and never had their own car.
I encouraged my children to uses buses when they were still in primary school. The socialist GLC brough in an extra cheap fae for children,, much cheaper than using the car. Although I would admit the first time my 9-year old son went tothe local swimming pool on the bus, I actually followed it in the car and made sure he got off at the correct stop!!!

Back when my children were going off to Uni, it never occured to us to accompany them. They were now 18 years of age and adults. They all managed to get to uni's by public transport for interviews and viewings.

When I was helping out with one of my g.children, I would take her to her orchestra on the bus, talking through where we were, et. By the age of 11 she was able to do this by herself, just getting collected by car for going home.

In London bus travel for for youngsters is easy and free. This encourages teenagers, etc to use this form of getting about. Other areas need to provide free public transport for under-18's

I walked to school alone from the age of 7. It was 2 miles and there was no bus.

I was seven. I took the bus to go to my granny’s after school. The bus stop was directly opposite the school. It cost 1d. I had a road to cross when I got off the bus, but in those days, 1955, there was little traffic. DD now lives on the same road as my granny did, and it’s so busy, that I cross at a nearby pedestrian crossing.

There is a garden in Menton, owned by (if he's still alive) an elderly gentleman, William Waterfield. When he was young he used to travel by train (there was an halt nearby) from Menton to Eton unaccompanied from age 11. Quite a long way.

Interestingly it seems to be the boys that are accompanied by parents. I recall when my friend's children were young. it was always the boys who need to be fetched in the early hours when they'd gone for a sleepover. The girls were much braver I think.

Children don’t cycle to school here any more. 20 years ago, they rode ponies and bikes through our village. Traffic makes that impossible now

I certainly rode my bike to meet the service bus at 7 yrs old as did many others, secondary school was 7 miles away, we biked 2 miles to catch the school bus.

My younger nieces and nephews certainly did the same 10yrs ago

We were so fortunate to have freedom, to be trusted to look after ourselves. Safeguarding unknown as shown by the interesting journey MOnica’s friend enjoyed. Generally, adults were seen as helpful rather than dangerous. It made life easier for parents and children. Currently, if harm befalls a child, the first response is to parent/teacher blame which makes us all low level anxious

Bus to primary school and back around age 7. Secondary schools was in Moss Side (the rough end of Manchester) so a 2-mile walk to the station, 40 mins on the train, 2 buses at the other end. My mother was concerned I wouldn't manage it but it didn't faze me at all. I learnt alternative routes both walking and on the bus/train and knew Manchester like the back of my hand. I still love the city.

My school was HUGE (to me) and there were girls of all nationalities, many very rich, but to me they were just girls and I made loads of friends.

I still believe the independence gave me the courage to seek a professional career rather than the shop assistant my parents imagined I would be.

So I had better not mention my friend, who at 6 was delivered into the care of the guard by her father to travel some distance to stay with her grandmother. She sent the whole journey in the guards van so that he could keep an eye on her and at her destination was handed over to her waiting grandmother.

Looking at it now the safeguarding dangers and all the rest make one's hair stand on end. She says she really enjoyed herself, sitting with the luggage and watching the guard loading and unloading packages at each station.

12 years old, when I got a Saturday job in a little hairdressers.
I remember feeling so grown up on the bus in my uniform for work.

Iam64

This thread is beginning to sound like a spin off from The Three Yorkshire Men sketch

Busses, luxury, we used do three shifts down’t’pit or int’mill then go t’school, then we’d play out ont’main road till tea time

😂 and then have to walk five miles for our hovis.