My DD has been taking the bus home for a couple of years now, although admittedly in a very quiet area. If your child has a friend he/she can go with, that might be nice so he/she is not alone.

I commuted via Metro/bus for high school and I disagree about the headphones. Wearing headphones can allow you to plausibly ignore people who may be trying to harass you that you don't want to talk to.

If she gets a phone with the i C DC app, she can make the call on the fly whether to get off at Shaw and take the 70 or U Street and take the 63.

Agree that you should do a test run with her. I had the same experience as a PP of walking out of the Metro on my first day of school and not really knowing which direction to walk. Driving it is not the same as walking it.

Navigating the bus/metro stops is relatively easy once you contact metro. Then when your child makes friends who are commuters too, he/she will find alternative ways to get to and from home; which is always good to know. Because Metro can be unpredictable.

I live in sf and my 5th grader has been taking mass transit since last year. She has to call once she's gotten to school. She also has strict instructions not to use her iPod touch on the trains - most stolen item out here are apple products. She reads or does homework.

If she's uncomfortable with anyone who sits or stands near her she knows to move. and if she can't move, to get very loud and attract attention.

14:27 PP here - I really wouldn't sweat finding other kids ahead of time and, although I recommend going with her a time or two, you'll find she quickly wants to get rid of you. Even by middle school, many, many kids are self-transporting. I would guess that the majority of Banneker kids are riding the metro or bus from somewhere. No need to arrange an escort ahead-of-time - she'll quickly find friends. And making advance plans can be tricky if the other child is late in the morning or has different after-school plans.

OP is there a way to find out before school starts if other kids are also coming from her same general area and can all committ to riding together each day? Is there a Banneker family listesrve that you could post on to find other kids?

Anonymous wrote:How old is your daughter?

14. I should also add a neighborhood kid also got into the same school so it's possible she may have a friend to commute with. But this kid is also considering another school so since it's not a definite I want to plan as if she'll be travelling alone. And I'm sure a PP is correct, in a week or two she'll probably make friends with other kids making the same or similar commute.

Anonymous wrote:I would not worry about roughness on the 70 line during the times she will travel. My daughter managed to travel each way listening to her ipod while playing Soduko (spelling?) on her phone.

No, I'd see to it that she takes the Metro. I'd say Navy Yard, not because she won't know how to transfer but because you want to minimize the commute and to maximize other useful time she has to do homework or read a book, which is impossible to do if you have to transfer. Maybe she'll play Sodoku (but don't bet on that even if she tells you so). As a regular user of metro, with and without sharing my ride with high school kids, I think it's paramount to regularly remind your teenager that they need to be respectful of other riders. High schoolers can have this group (sheep) mentality and behavior and it's a terrible thing to watch and and really aggravating for the rest of us. I don't think I'd encourage ear phone use. While I've never witnessed a crime on metro, crime does exist and I'm sure mindless teenagers with their latest gadgets out, right near the door, would be prime targets. And if she is not already a regular user, then I think it's in order to travel that distance a few times with her and also point out who to ask for help and how and what to report (rare occasions but I've needed to flag an exhibitionist once and was glad to have been told to do that and where to do that).

And I think the days that she says she wants to get off at Gallery Place or Metro station to do whatever/hang, then you'll want to know exactly why and with whom. You won't be able and probably shouldn't fully curtail that but there are some rough high school crowds out and about there on some days, not altogether pretty, the kind that'll go to the National Zoo "to watch girls" (citation from the WaPo).

While I know bus rides are free, I don't think Metro is. You can use the DC One card to charge fare though and that may include the student discount.

Parent with a multi-year metro rider here. The OneCard doesn't give free rides on metro - it lets you buy a $30/month metro/bus pass. Only the bus is free. You'll need to get paperwork from the school to get it validated, most likely. The school will know the details but you may need to pay out of pocket for the first week or two.

Make sure you child has a cell phone with emergency number pre-programmed into it - yours (cell), yours (work), at least a couple of backups. Also second the recommendation for emergency money, although you should have both $20 or so - enough for cab fare home or somewhere else - and also some smaller bills. If she can't find her metro pass, for example, you want her to be able to pay cash but not to have to put $20 into metro fare on top of her usual cost for the pass.

And I second the no electronics rule. Our child reads a book (and occasionally misses a stop) but at least we don't worry about theft that way. She'll quickly meet friends to walk/ride with anyway. Good luck to her - it's a great experience for the kids to learn to transport themselves.

How old is your daughter?

I agree with no headphones, OP.

Re: the 70 being rough, I mean, it's definitely rougher than the Ds or the 30s, but it's not awful. My 4yo takes it on field trips all the time. I don't worry about people on the bus, but I do worry about his class crossing Georgia!

Anonymous wrote:OP here. Thanks so much everyone for the great advice/tips. So glad I posted, this is all very useful information.

Yes, she has ridden the bus before but never alone. And I forgot about the DC One Card, I'll have to get hers registered. You still have to do that before you can use it for metro fare, right?

For the poster who said "use headphones to listen to music", I was planning to say no headphones at all during the commute, for safety purposes. Would that be overly cautious?

I would say no headphones for safety and do not pull out your cell phone unless you are making an emergency call. But, once she gets more comfortable you probably won't be able to control her beats time.

I would not worry about roughness on the 70 line during the times she will travel. My daughter managed to travel each way listening to her ipod while playing Soduko (spelling?) on her phone.

I highly recommend the Transit app. It's the best one I've found for giving you all available rail and bus options no matter where you are in the city, including GPS maps that will show you how to walk to an alternate stop. The first thing you see when you open it is a listing of available lines and the number of minutes to the next arrival.

Really, the most difficult part of her commute will be remembering to get on a green line train on the southbound commute so she doesn't end up on a yellow train to Huntington.

I would avoid the Red Line at all costs. Delays are frequent and I find the Gallery Place transfer harrowing

I don't think you're overreacting with the no-headphones rule. You want her to look around, pay attention, and be aware of her surroundings. Frankly, I might even have a no-electronics rule. Phones/iPods are frequent theft targets, anyway.

I think any bus during regular commuting hours is going to be fairly safe, and I would just instruct her to sit or stand near the driver if she's not travelling with a friend. That said, a 16-minute walk v. a 7-minute ride + waiting for the bus--I would probably walk unless the bus was right there.

I agree that it makes sense to minimize transfers--Navy Yard to Shaw is an easy trip, and Gallery Place can be a zoo at rush hour.

Do a couple of dry runs at the times she'll actually be commuting.

Basic transit etiquette--on the escalators, walk left, stand right. Give up your seat for the elderly, disabled, or pregnant. Don't block the doors--let people exit and enter. Don't put your bag down on the seat next to you if the train is relatively full, or at least be proactive about moving it if people are getting on. If you're with friends or talking on your phone, don't be too loud.