How Long Is Your Elementary-age Kid on the Bus?

I loved the bus because my child was at preschool a long time, including the commute! Kid-free time is precious. Take what you can get!

You can probably even get away with an earlier bedtime, so he'll be up in time for the bus.

Lol. I lived in a city that was too small for it's own school, so we were bussed to the next city over.

We would get on one bus, which would take us 45 minutes to a switch, where students boarded a second bus depending on which school they were going to. (High school, jr., or elementary.) Then another 15-20 minutes to get to the school.

It was a LONG ride. My dad got me a little lap-desk that fit in my backpack, and I could do my homework on the bus. :)

We don't ride the bus....we can sleep an extra 1/2 hour and we still beat the bus! There's also a lot of misbehavior which we can do without! I don't like navigating all the traffic when dropping off...but still would rather drive. Plus in our area, they charge $150/ year for a bus pass...not worth it.

I think it's pretty standard. I remember my bus commute took nearly an hour, and I was the second pick up. I'm actually surprised they have bus service that close. We don't get any service if you live within 2 miles of the school!!

What time does he get to school? We live a couple miles from school. My kids are on the bus 15-20 minutes depending on how quickly it loads up. Thing is though, they get to school 10-15 minutes before school starts. It isn't like they are unloaded directly into the classroom, there is walking time involved.

So no, I don't think it is too long at all.

When my kids went to my parents house to catch the bus and to that school, it was a good hour each way. Ugh...we all hated it.

Now that we are back at our house (my mom hasn't done before care for me since 2010), they get the bus about 825 and school starts at 845. However, they are at the school by 835 I believe. The school is on the same road our development is off of....probably 2 miles or so down.

We live about 1.5 miles from our school. We could walk through the golf course to get there as well - and have...which is about 3/4 a mile. It's a nice walk.

My youngest is on the bus about 20 minutes in AM as, like you, we are the first stop. On the way home? 10 minutes - as we are the first to drop off. There are kids that are on the bus 45 minutes. It seems a tad long - but it all depends upon how many stops and how many kids they need to pick up. Remember - it's the beginning of the year and parents are still hugging and kissing their kids excessively at the bus stop....or kids are clinging to parents...

You are waiting gas in my opinion if you are driving. You are already paying via taxes for your child to be transported back and forth to school - why pay twice? I don't get it.

Our county policy is anyone over ONE MILE gets bus service.

We don't have school buses here, taking kids to school or home after.
Parents drive their kids.
Bus or not, there will be traffic.
All vehicles of all sorts, is in school bound traffic.
Except, a bus makes frequents stops along the way to pick up other passengers. Your car does not.

Its really up to you. And what you want for your kid.
1.5 miles is really not far.
You'd probably beat the bus to school, if you both left the house at the same time. 8:00am.

My daughter got on the bus at 8:45 and school started at 9:25. Afternoon let out at 3:30 and she got home at 4:10. She LOVED riding the bus. The recess time at school is ridiculously short and the bus ride was the most time she had to talk (and sing!) with a goof around with her friends.

He won't be riding the bus for 45 minutes, as others have said, our busses are scheduled to arrive about 15 minutes before school starts, so the kids can walk to their classrooms and deal with coats, etc.

I rode the bus for an hour each way in elem. school. I didn't care because my friend was there too. I HATED it when I was in middle school. It was NOT cool to ride the bus! LOL!!

I think it's a lot of fun to ride the bus. They drive a block or two then stop and kids get on. You watch to see who it is and stuff then go back to daydreaming.

I can remember having a lot of fun on the bus too. I'd let him try it and see how he likes it. It might be too long for him but it can't hurt to try it once or twice.

We live in a very rural area and most kids ride the bus to school. Mine are the first picked up on their route (I meet the bus on my way to work)and spend 20-30 minutes on the bus every morning.

I just always drove them when it was that close. But my 8th grader would have to be at the bus stop at 6:45 for a 8:15 school day. I drive her (it's on the way to work) and she takes the bus home with only a 10 min ride home.

Pretty normal. Kids live riding the bus! Kids that get driven to school are missing a big part of the school "experience." For two,years, the only way the transportation dept. could get my daughter to school on time was to pick her up and then a little boy. His school started at 8am. My daughter was picked up at 7:30am, other kid at 7:35. Got to his school at 7:55. My daughters school was further away. There was not enough time for bus to come back and get her hence the 7:30 pick up time. So after they dropped off little boy, bus driver took her for breakfast. It was a win win for everyone and she got to school about 8:50. Started at 9. Sometimes the bus ride is short, sometimes long. I am sure it will work out fine.

We live the same distance and the bus ride to school will be about 35 minutes and the ride home is 9 minutes. I asked my son if he wanted me to drive him but he wants to ride the bus because it's fun. See how it goes with the bus first.

I would drive my kids every day if we lived that close. Heck, I DID drive them every day for a while, and we live around 30 miles from my daughter's school.

Our morning bus is all grades, K5-HS. Our neighborhood's designated pick up time is 6:15 a.m. (school starts at 8:00 a.m.) Our neighborhood's stop is NOT the first pickup. So, I drive my kids to the last pickup location before the bus heads to the schools. It picks up at 6:50 a.m.

After they are picked up, they drive around 15 miles to the elementary school, then proceed from there to either the middle school or to the high school (depends upon the driver... last year's driver went to the high school first, this year's seems to be going to the middle school first). They are both another 8-11 miles further south on the interstate.

Afternoons are similar, except the elementary schools are released earlier and have their own bus runs. Then some of those buses return and pick up at the middle school (which dismisses at 3:25) and then goes to the high school (which dismisses at 3:45) and then proceeds to drop off the kids at the designated stop. The FIRST drop-off (which is the same as the last pick up in the mornings) doesn't normally occur until 4:15-4:20 pm. When my kids ride the bus all the way to our neighborhood, they don't walk in the door until 4:55 pm.

My kids are typically the first picked up and the last dropped off since we live on the edge of our district. My 5th grader will be going to a new Upper Elementary School. Her bus will pick her up at 7:37 and will drop her off at 4:19. Seems like a crazy long day for a 10 year old. We will see how it goes but my kids always loved the bus.

My 6 year old who has been riding the bus since he was 3 gets picked up at 8:25 and school starts at 9. In the afternoon school lets out at 3:30 and he's home close to 5. On a side note my son is special needs and he attends a school that is out of our zoned area. My daughter whom attends the school that is a mile away is on the bus for a half an hour in the morning and about 45 minutes in the afternoon.

30 minutes..not too long.