tell me about your public transit commute to school

[Anonymous]

I'm going back and forth about how to rank schools that are further away. What's the reality of taking a preschooler every day via metro or bus? Something you get used to over time? Only pick schools with one leg, no transfer? How much buffer time do you leave for delays?

(I'm mainly thinking about schools that WMATA tells me have less than 30 min trip time, but I know how much that can vary. Driving time is more like 10 minutes. I've tried out the various legs but it's more the daily grind that I'm worried about and looking for feedback on.)

[Anonymous]

I haven't done the commute yet, but I've been mapping routes and approximate times to all my school picks with Google's new map feature. You can customize a map with all your destinations on it and then for each point on the map, simultaneously see routes by car and Metro, including lines, station stops and approximate times. Perfection will be the inclusion of bus lines.

I know my son would be thrilled to pieces to be riding Metro every day. As I was contemplating that, I realized I would need to add another ten minutes to the estimated commute to account for his slower pace.

[Anonymous]

We take the bus. It's about 10 minutes on the bus and would likely be more or less the same in the car. In the morning, I allow for 20 minutes, because sometimes the buses don't stop due to being overfull. Getting there from work is either 20 minutes on the metro and then a 5 minute walk or 30 minutes on the bus and a 1 minute walk. If the weather is crappy, I take metro. Otherwise, I take the bus because it's slightly more convenient (no transfer as opposed to 1 transfer). Any concerns about being late have mostly been on the picking up end. One time in the morning I got off the bus a couple blocks early because there was some really bad traffic and I knew we'd make it if we walked but not if we stayed on the bus.

[Anonymous]

We take bus or metro, about half hour to 45 minutes each way including walking. We've been doing it for three years, and it isn't that bad at all. Logistically, it is simple, and it gives us a lot of good time together to talk or read. Of course, sometimes I just zone out on the bus and write emails or random things on dcurbanmoms (like right now - she is listening to my iphone while I'm writing on it).

By the way, I try to kill two birds with one stone on the leg in which I am sans child by either running or capital bikeshare. I really enjoy that and it forces me to be motivated.

Of course sometimes it gets old, especially in bad weather but I enjoy it most days, mostly because I try to make the most of the time by multitasking.

[dcmom]

Anonymous wrote:I haven't done the commute yet, but I've been mapping routes and approximate times to all my school picks with Google's new map feature. You can customize a map with all your destinations on it and then for each point on the map, simultaneously see routes by car and Metro, including lines, station stops and approximate times. Perfection will be the inclusion of bus lines.

I know my son would be thrilled to pieces to be riding Metro every day. As I was contemplating that, I realized I would need to add another ten minutes to the estimated commute to account for his slower pace.

The advice I got was I double the time to account for slower pace and public transport delays.

[Anonymous]

Here's what I do with my 3yo: 4 block walk to metro, 3 stops to school, 5 block walk to school. Because she's little, I go into her class with her and help her hang up her coat, put lunch away, etc. It's about 3 hours total each day (there and back X 2). I'm fortunate to have a schedule that accommodates it and am grateful enough for the placement that I do it even though it's a drudge sometimes. Usually it's easy though - she is cheerful and it's nice to have the time with her, and if the weather is really terrible then we take Uber.

[Anonymous]

20:12 poster here - I usually take her in a stroller. So much faster, and before I started doing that it was really a lot of walking for her on top of having a full week of school (coming from being home with parents or nanny).

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:Here's what I do with my 3yo: 4 block walk to metro, 3 stops to school, 5 block walk to school. Because she's little, I go into her class with her and help her hang up her coat, put lunch away, etc. It's about 3 hours total each day (there and back X 2). I'm fortunate to have a schedule that accommodates it and am grateful enough for the placement that I do it even though it's a drudge sometimes. Usually it's easy though - she is cheerful and it's nice to have the time with her, and if the weather is really terrible then we take Uber.

Not snarky, just curious...are you really commuting 3 hours a day? Wow.

Do you do the full commute yourself or do you a spouse/partner to help with the commute?

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:20:12 poster here - I usually take her in a stroller. So much faster, and before I started doing that it was really a lot of walking for her on top of having a full week of school (coming from being home with parents or nanny).

Assume that the school does not have stroller storage--do you just walk it back with you or to work?

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Here's what I do with my 3yo: 4 block walk to metro, 3 stops to school, 5 block walk to school. Because she's little, I go into her class with her and help her hang up her coat, put lunch away, etc. It's about 3 hours total each day (there and back X 2). I'm fortunate to have a schedule that accommodates it and am grateful enough for the placement that I do it even though it's a drudge sometimes. Usually it's easy though - she is cheerful and it's nice to have the time with her, and if the weather is really terrible then we take Uber.

Not snarky, just curious...are you really commuting 3 hours a day? Wow.

Do you do the full commute yourself or do you a spouse/partner to help with the commute?

PP here - yup, we leave the house at 8 and if I don't stop for groceries etc. on the way home, I get back at 9:30. Then it's the same thing for the afternoon pickup. Kind of a pain, but fortunately the couple of days a week that I have to go in to the office for meetings, my husband can work from home and then sign off to go get her and then just works a bit more after she's in bed. His work hours are a lot longer and more set than mine, so it works out better for me to transport her most of the time.

Her school is moving next year and we are VERRRRY excited about the potential van pickup points (or even a much better route via metro bus).

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:20:12 poster here - I usually take her in a stroller. So much faster, and before I started doing that it was really a lot of walking for her on top of having a full week of school (coming from being home with parents or nanny).

Assume that the school does not have stroller storage--do you just walk it back with you or to work?

PP here - they do permit people to leave strollers, scooters, etc. in the foyer, so on the days that I have to pick her up, I just leave it. Otherwise I roll it home empty before I go to work and get to hear lots of hilarious (not really) comments from strangers about having forgotten my baby.

[Anonymous]

One question you should figure out is if you are going to use before or aftercare, pk kids struggle with the long day. You can do more if the day is shorter.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Here's what I do with my 3yo: 4 block walk to metro, 3 stops to school, 5 block walk to school. Because she's little, I go into her class with her and help her hang up her coat, put lunch away, etc. It's about 3 hours total each day (there and back X 2). I'm fortunate to have a schedule that accommodates it and am grateful enough for the placement that I do it even though it's a drudge sometimes. Usually it's easy though - she is cheerful and it's nice to have the time with her, and if the weather is really terrible then we take Uber.

Not snarky, just curious...are you really commuting 3 hours a day? Wow.

Do you do the full commute yourself or do you a spouse/partner to help with the commute?

PP here - yup, we leave the house at 8 and if I don't stop for groceries etc. on the way home, I get back at 9:30. Then it's the same thing for the afternoon pickup. Kind of a pain, but fortunately the couple of days a week that I have to go in to the office for meetings, my husband can work from home and then sign off to go get her and then just works a bit more after she's in bed. His work hours are a lot longer and more set than mine, so it works out better for me to transport her most of the time.

Her school is moving next year and we are VERRRRY excited about the potential van pickup points (or even a much better route via metro bus).

Thanks for the tips! I also have a long commute and I'm glad to see someone with such a positive outlook about it!

[Anonymous]

PPs does your commute involve a lot of cajoling or is it pretty smooth?

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:PPs does your commute involve a lot of cajoling or is it pretty smooth?

The kiddo is fine about it - she tends to be quite easy-going and just sings songs, chatters, or eats the rest of her breakfast along the way. She does sometimes take what feels like a million years to JUST. BRUSH. HER. TEETH. (or put on mittens or whatever) but I think that's probably being 3 more than about her resisting the commute. She's never lived in a family who owns a car, so she doesn't know the difference as far as that goes.

If there's ever any cajoling, it's usually in my own head to roll on up that hill one more freaking time even if I'm tired or have a hundred other things to do, but we like the school so much that I'd honestly do more to get her there if I had to.