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I am considering an activity with my Girl Scouts. I think knowing how to read a bus/train/subway schedule and map is a valuable skill. If a person can read the Tulsa Transit Map/Schedule is it logical they can go to Chicago or NYC and do the same? I have never used public transportation in any other city besides Reno, NV and Tulsa.
Am I making a huge assumption? I know the systems with those two cities were comparable..I am "assuming" other places are also.
Let me know what you think. I will be along for the rides with at least one other Mom possibly two with my 10 girls ages 9-10. Of course, I am going to print out the schedules and we will decide our destination/routing before hand. We will have water on hand along with lunch money (I always bring emergency money also, just in case.) THANKS!!!
This sounds like a great idea. While transit details do vary by city, it is reasonable to expect that they'll be able to go to another city and figure it out, as the basics are generally the same. So yes, the skills are definitely transferable. You could also incorporate some basics about things like bus etiquette; so much is common sense, but it never hurts to mention things like say thank you to the driver, don't sit in the very front seats if you're young and not disabled (or be ready to jump up immediately if an older person/disable person/pregnant woman, etc. gets on the bus and needs to sit down), have correct change, let people off the bus before you try to get on, etc. In any case, feeling comfortable with using public transportation and reading the maps, etc., is a good thing.
Even as an adult, I always felt hesitant about making my first use of a city bus system. Once I rode for the first time, I felt more secure, and more willing to use it again. So, I think it is crucial to make sure that the kids feel OK about riding the bus, and feel confident enough to do it by themselves if they need to.
As a world traveler, I've probably ridden the bus in more than 100 cities, and with trepidation in each new one, because customs and procedures vary, and most were not in countries where I knew the language.
This sounds like a great idea. While transit details do vary by city, it is reasonable to expect that they'll be able to go to another city and figure it out, as the basics are generally the same. So yes, the skills are definitely transferable. You could also incorporate some basics about things like bus etiquette; so much is common sense, but it never hurts to mention things like say thank you to the driver, don't sit in the very front seats if you're young and not disabled (or be ready to jump up immediately if an older person/disable person/pregnant woman, etc. gets on the bus and needs to sit down), have correct change, let people off the bus before you try to get on, etc. In any case, feeling comfortable with using public transportation and reading the maps, etc., is a good thing.
I've ridden a lot of buses in my day, and none of them allow children to stand, and a lot of drivers prefer younger kids sit toward the front especially if they are not accompanied by an adult.
I've ridden a lot of buses in my day, and none of them allow children to stand, and a lot of drivers prefer younger kids sit toward the front especially if they are not accompanied by an adult.
I have been riding buses since I was a kid, and now bring my own son on the bus (in different cities) regularly. No, they don't want the young children to stand, of course, but these are 10 years olds accompanied by an adult. I'm not suggesting that they do stand, but rather that they incorporate a discussion about basic etiquette into the day's activities, and, since they are traveling as a group and are accompanied, that they don't sit right up in the very front seats.
I think any child old enough to ride a bus by him or herself is old enough to stand if an older or disabled person needs the seat. I would assume that this group is not riding the bus at rush hour so it's highly unlikely to be standing room only, anyway, but given the sheer number of people I see sitting in the very front seats of many buses who don't move when someone obviously in need of a seat enters the bus (sure, some of them might have hidden disabilities or needs, but not all of them do...), I think it's a lesson at least worth mentioning. Some of the people I see doing rude things on the bus might just be rude, inconsiderate people, but some of them are just clueless and have never thought about it before; their rudeness is an example of just not paying attention or thinking things through, rather than any active act of rudeness or malice; this is an opportunity for parents to provide a little lesson in etiquette that might be of use down the road.
Great Idea My daughter is now a junior girl scout and I think she's only taken the bus/train about two times in her life. This is def. a skill that should be learned I'm going to bring it up to our troop leader and if it something they are not interested in doing then I will be taking her on trip of our public transportation system
Great idea! I just volunteered to be our Brownie leader, this is something that I might use!
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