Buses

[rockyracoon]

I'm trying to get my daughter a bit more independent and have been encouraging her to get the bus into the next town. A couple of weeks ago she arranged to meet a friend and seemed to be excited about getting the bus on her own but a couple of hours before she was due to leave she asked if she should still get on the bus if there were no other passengers on it, I told her that she should and asked why she felt she shouldn't. She said that when she went on a course whilst in year 6 at primary school she was told not to, I'm hoping she's got things a bit muddled up as I can't see the reasoning behind the suggestion. Any one else heard of kids being advised in this way?

[Prudie]

No I haven't. I do recall being told to always sit in a train compartment that had at least several people in it.

[rockyracoon]

I was told that as well, and to sit up the front near the driver if there wasn't many people on the bus. She must have it muddled up, but it did worry her a bit. I did ask how many empty buses she'd let pass before she decided to get on one, she couldn't answer that.

[Obiter]

Same thing, I suppose. Don't talk to/take sweets from strangers.

[gness]

Rocky....it could be that a child getting on an empty bus....apart from the driver of course....means that he/she is alone when it picks up at the next stop...and that could be anyone....or a group.

[Zacs-Master]

But everyone could get off at the next stop, leaving the child alone.

[gness]

Then if the child was aware of that happening, Zacs....he/she could get off too and wait for a bus with passengers.....

Might never reach a destination but it'd be an interesting journey....☺

[Zacs-Master]

I was thinking more like the people getting off had somewhere to go.

[ChillDoubt]

Might I ask how old she is?

[Prudie]

OK you're driving a bus with 10 people on it. At the first stop 4 people get off and 7 people get on......

[hc4361]

How old is she, rocky? Have you tried it the other way - drop her off in town when she meets friends and gets a bus home. At least she only has to make one journey and will know which stop to get off at.

[rockyracoon]

I've had a good chat with her about (very unlikely) scenarios so hopefully whatever she had going on in her head has gone.

[gness]

I should imagine they had, Zacs......that's why they'd be on the bus.

I was just wondering how a child could follow the advice Rocky's daughter was given.

[rockyracoon]

She's 13.

HC, I did actually do that in the end, it started raining so I gave her a way out by telling her I didn't want her gettiing wet, she came home on the bus as her friend was coming back here as well.

[Zacs-Master]

Me too Gness. And I was pointing out what I'll thought thru advice it was.

[rockyracoon]

Gness, that's what I was trying to get over to her, the bus could have been full when she got on and empty a few minutes later, she did start to realise that it's not sensible but she does seem to struggle to shake off things that she has been told, especially by people in authority.

[ChillDoubt]

I'd physically see her onto the bus the first time, tell her to text/call you as soon as she gets to her stop(whether she has a phone or not, it lets any other passengers know that you will be expecting her to be in touch shortly) and keep up with the encouragement.
Before you know it she'll be confident enough.

[rockyracoon]

Thanks Chill, I think that's the way I'll go with it. She really does need to start getting about on her own really, my kids have been spoilt as they get a school coach at the bottom of the road and it drops them off there again in the afternoon, they don't get the experiences of public transport like a lot of other kids do.