School bus non-Valk

[da prez]

Ended up behind a school bus in a  neighborhood. It stopped at every other house. Some of the children were not even outside. The bus had to wait for the little darlings to waddle out to the bus. REALLY , they couldn't gather on the corner like we did.  Our bus driver would not wait if you were walking up. Last kid in line , door closed and the bus left.

                                                             da prez

[carolinarider09]

Two things.   

Times have changed.   Back in my day, we had a school bus stop area, actually a lean too kind of thing so we could wait in the rain as well as the sun.

Now days....... would that be safe?????? 

[Ramie]

What bus?  I walked two miles to school, up hill both ways!

[Rams]

What bus?  I walked two miles to school, up hill both ways!

Actually, I did walk home from school from 5th grade up until I was legally allowed to drive and it was 2.7 miles.   Rode the bus in the mornings because we were almost at the end of the bus route.   I could beat the bus home by 30 minutes in the afternoons by walking.   The only exception was that I wasn't allowed to walk in pouring rain, snow was OK.   Mom didn't like me ruining my shoes..........

We farm/ranch kids had chores to do so getting home earlier left more time for me to do what I wanted.  

Rams

[old2soon]

What bus?  I walked two miles to school, up hill both ways!

         ONLY 2 miles?  And If My Brother used the same bus stop I did the stop was a block and a half from the house. And I'd been known to walk to or from! And That was In Il. north of Chi Town-winters were a bitch! RIDE SAFE.

[Serk]

The triplets ride the bus to school...

They used to have to walk 1/4 of a mile to a bus stop at the bottom of our street. There is a MUCH closer one, only 250 feet from our house, but it involves them walking in an alley. The safety folks don't allow that, but we did some finagling and they're not picked up and dropped off at the closer one.

But.... Still there's only a stop every 1/4 of a mile or so, kids are expected to walk at least that far.

[da prez]

  I think around here , a quarter mile justifies a chauffer. 
  I understand safety issues , but every other house??????????????

                                             da prez

[Robert]

That stinks I would find out who I have to talk to, especially if its hours that you are trying to get to work.

[Oss]

Walked downhill to school uphill home
Remember being a block from school and hearing the wailing from.apt windows when jfk was shot
 When we moved to Orangeburg it was a 4 mile walk if i missed the bus in high school rode my 10 speed schwinn

[cookiedough]

about 10 years or so ago the small town school finally got 2 IN town bus route stops for our 1 mile long town for IN town school kids.  Before that, too bad, walk no more than 1 mile to school, not that hard to do takes 15 minutes tops.

AS far as stopping in the country rural routes,  then YES,  the school bus stops at every farm kid's house no matter if next house up on the road.  

I would, if IN town/city,  to contact the school telling them is not right stopping at EVERY house since the kids could meet up on a corner of a street and all get on together all at once.  Common sense prevails here.

[scooperhsd]

My school district  - no buses (maybe exceptions for those physically disabled). Grade school was 8 blocks, Jr High was 2-2.5 miles, and high school was 1 mile or so. Mom played chauffer in bad weather or if I had big instruments to transport, but otherwise - we rode our bikes. When I got my restricted license, I got to drive once in  awhile, and when I was 16   (full license) - I took over for Mom for my brothers and sister, especially when I got my own car.

[Jess from VA]

My neighborhood, kids walk to central stops, some a bit of a hike, some not.

What impresses me, for K-6th anyway, parents, brothers, sisters or someone comes with every single one (or 2 or 3).  Walking or bringing them in cars (often pushing loaded baby carriages).  If a kid is late, the bus waits, but most are all early or on time, being supervised.  And at afternoon drop off, all the supervision is back.  

We have a United Nations type population, but the big majority of youngsters are Hispanic (El Salvador, not Mexico), and without being too ethnocentric, the Hispanics love and care for children as much as any I've ever seen.  Hugs and kisses and happy all around.  Lot of Español spoken too.  Sorry, I only habla poquito Español.

During the Covid, there was protocol and paperwork and masks, and if the driver didn't clear you, you didn't get on, and I saw more than one mom highly pissed off walking their kid back home.

For many years, a big stop collection point was my corner lot.  The grass on my median, from street to sidewalk was stomped dead, and I gave up on it.  Let there be dirt.  It moved across the street a few years ago, go figure, but the grass grew back, sorta.  I do my part and keep my sidewalks clear and clean and even had the county pour a concrete curve in around a giant oak root stumble and fall problem.  One year of my house tax (alone), would cover several of those.  Our DOT isn't always real responsive, but you tell them it's about school kids and bus stops, and they are out within a day or two.  

[RP#62]

You know, its funny what you remember.  I first started riding the school bus in the late 50's, early 60's and back then, most boys had their hair short and used pomade.  What I remember the most is that smell of all those pomade brands hitting you in the face as you first got on the bus.

-RP

[old2soon]

You know, its funny what you remember.  I first started riding the school bus in the late 50's, early 60's and back then, most boys had their hair short and used pomade.  What I remember the most is that smell of all those pomade brands hitting you in the face as you first got on the bus.

-RP

          That and for some reason in the warmer months the smell of sour chocolate milk! RIDE SAFE.

[0leman]

When I was in grade school, walked the mile to school, except for rainy days.  Jr. High, rode my heavy metal bike, no gears, about 2 miles.  High school,  rode the bus to and walked home.  Except during the time I was working out for swimming.  Had a friend who lived a couple blocks who was old enough to drive. 

When we lived in WY, my girls walked to school.  Even had a pile of rocks to put into their back packs on really windy days.   

The place we live in how has a bus stop in front of our home.  Right now there are two girls and two boys who wait for the bus.  One of the boys walks down about a block. The others live several house down.  The bus driver does wait till the last one is seated before moving, not like it was when we (some of us) were kids.  My two grandsons use to catch the bus here.   On rainy days, I use to open the garage door for them and others to get out of the weather, don't do it now.

[Jess from VA]

You know, its funny what you remember.  I first started riding the school bus in the late 50's, early 60's and back then, most boys had their hair short and used pomade.  What I remember the most is that smell of all those pomade brands hitting you in the face as you first got on the bus.

-RP

That reminds me of this:  


I wore a flat top like my dad, but did have the butch wax to push the short front up.  Pomade was probably (just a) few years before me.  When I grew my hair out in HS (not on the shoulders), and grew mutton chops (cause that was my only face hair), the folks were not real keen about it.  But I was still pretty clean cut compared the hippy dippys in bib overalls with embroidery on them.  

Not me.  


I still wear my hair like this, except the top is a scarred up old cue-ball with stray hairs sticking up  

(and always a hat; not to hide the bald, to avoid the skin cancer).   

[..]

My neighborhood, kids walk to central stops, some a bit of a hike, some not.

What impresses me, for K-6th anyway, parents, brothers, sisters or someone comes with every single one (or 2 or 3).  Walking or bringing them in cars (often pushing loaded baby carriages).  If a kid is late, the bus waits, but most are all early or on time, being supervised.  And at afternoon drop off, all the supervision is back.  

We have a United Nations type population, but the big majority of youngsters are Hispanic (El Salvador, not Mexico), and without being too ethnocentric, the Hispanics love and care for children as much as any I've ever seen.  Hugs and kisses and happy all around.  Lot of Español spoken too.  Sorry, I only habla poquito Español.

During the Covid, there was protocol and paperwork and masks, and if the driver didn't clear you, you didn't get on, and I saw more than one mom highly pissed off walking their kid back home.

For many years, a big stop collection point was my corner lot.  The grass on my median, from street to sidewalk was stomped dead, and I gave up on it.  Let there be dirt.  It moved across the street a few years ago, go figure, but the grass grew back, sorta.  I do my part and keep my sidewalks clear and clean and even had the county pour a concrete curve in around a giant oak root stumble and fall problem.  One year of my house tax (alone), would cover several of those.  Our DOT isn't always real responsive, but you tell them it's about school kids and bus stops, and they are out within a day or two.  

On my bus route in N Atlanta the Hispanic kids were the best.