We started in Middle School, 11, after making him bus with a friend of mine for a week.

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Lots of Basis kids take public transport. I would hate to be a "regular person" on the D6 from the Hill in the morning... so many Basis kids going to school. Your kid will find a commuting buddy soon enough.

+1. Lots of Basis kids ride the bus together. It’s cute to see them.

Read through the posts. I'm under the impression that OP doesn't want a commuting buddy for his kid. Apparently, the child's school, and commute, are far too special. Waste of time to advise him or her.

Anonymous wrote:Lots of Basis kids take public transport. I would hate to be a "regular person" on the D6 from the Hill in the morning... so many Basis kids going to school. Your kid will find a commuting buddy soon enough.

+1. Lots of Basis kids ride the bus together. It’s cute to see them.

Buses great but Metro felt easier for both my kids when they first started--b/c of stopping automatically at each stop, which they could memorize and not need to request for the drive to stop. Agreed with the PP that they need to be ready to handle the unexpected (single-tracking, etc.) b/c impossible to prepare them for every situation.

I would be more comfortable with the bus. Metro….hell no. I don’t even like my 16 year old on metro alone. So many crazy people on the train and on the platform. So many breakdowns and delays. No way. At least on the bus, the driver is present.

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:How about the 70 bus or the X2?

Haha these are the two bus lines I immediately thought of when I read the phrase “crazy stuff happens regularly”.

Ooo story time. Entertain us on this rainy day.

Lots of Basis kids take public transport. I would hate to be a "regular person" on the D6 from the Hill in the morning... so many Basis kids going to school. Your kid will find a commuting buddy soon enough.

Anonymous wrote:How about the 70 bus or the X2?

Haha these are the two bus lines I immediately thought of when I read the phrase “crazy stuff happens regularly”.

How about the 70 bus or the X2?

I mean, I get what you’re saying about the bus “feeling safer” because of the presence of the bus driver but it REALLY depends on which bus line. There are some buses where crazy stuff happens regularly. All the bus driver can do is stop driving and call the cops.

Anyway, it really depends on the kid. I wouldn’t feel comfortable with my 5th grader doing it personally by themselves, but with a friend maybe.