Now and Then: Seniors Speak
About School Bus Transportation

By Dr. Linda F. Bluth*

Not too long ago, I was amused when I heard a friend's grandfather going on in great detail about how things were when he was a young boy. Proudly, he was telling his grandson all about how he walked to school three miles each way, rain or shine. If I did not know better, I would have thought I was listening to Abe Lincoln. He told his grandson not to be wimpy about walking four blocks to elementary school. This inspired me to interview a few senior citizens on the topic of getting to school now and then.

I began with my favorite uncle. Uncle Melvyn fit the bill. He is both a grandfather and a proud new great-grandfather. Born in Canada, he has spent the majority of his adult life in the San Francisco Bay Area where he worked and raised his two children with my Aunt Jeanne. When I asked him about school buses, the saga began. It was no surprise to learn that my uncle, now in his early seventies, walked to school when the snow was ten feet high. He described with great conviction the little paths he used to cross the street because the snow was taller than him. His sister, Aunt Bea, in true sisterly fashion remarked "Melvyn, I don't remember the snow quite that high." We all laughed a little, but the snow remains at ten feet.

I then called Aunt Harriet who lives in Concord, California. She is a native New Yorker who shared that in her day everyone walked to school in New York. I learned that over fifty years ago many school children rode the subway and used mass transit buses to get to and from school. Interestingly enough, it wasn't a controversial issue back then, but a way of life for children growing up in the city. My favorite aunt, Aunt Jeanne, who was my loyal childhood baby-sitter, grew up in New York City and shared that she walked to and from school and that mass transit was an option used by some students.

Cora, the receptionist at the Governor's Office for Children, Youth and Families, kindly allowed me to interview her. She is a native of Baltimore City. She told me that she walked approximately fifteen blocks to school. Cora was provided reduced fare tickets that could be used to ride the bus, but she and her friends would spend the money for food or candy, unless the weather was severe.

Additional friends and family members contributed that older children were often responsible for supervising how younger children got to and from school, whether walking or riding on the school bus. Adults who rode the school bus over fifty years ago appear to be limited in number. Some of the comments made included the following information: Buses were cold, uncomfortable and crowded. The rides to and from school were often long and you still had to walk from the main road to your home.

As far as bus behavior is concerned, I learned that if you threw paper or were caught with spit balls you were off the bus for as long as the bus driver decided. "Really, really, bad kids did such things as: passing around school books, lifting girls' skirts and eating candy on the bus." That is as bad as it got, so I was told by the senior citizens I interviewed. Many of the bus drivers knew the parents of the children they transported, which sharply reduced inappropriate behavior. The drivers were often farmers, ministers, teachers and principals. One of the persons interviewed said "those were the days when kids got spankings, in public."

So much has changed in recent years. For one thing, discipline practices are significantly different, both parents often work, which reduces supervision on a day to day basis. Children in the same family frequently go to different schools and do not ride on the same bus. Special education rules and regulations govern discipline practices. Day care, before and after school, is constantly challenging school bus transportation practices. Transportation personnel are cautiously asking "What's next"?

As we approach the next century the familiar yellow school bus will be challenged whether to be the vehicle of choice to transport children to and from school. Cost effectiveness, practicality, and utilization are all questions to be answered. Now and then, it is just fun to listen to the old stories about what was, as we move forward. We are at a significant crossroads influenced by technology, economics, progress, and what is to be.

.* The author currently serves as Chief, Community and Interagency Services Branch with the Maryland State Department of Education, Division of Special Education/Early Intervention Services. Previously, she was Assistant Superintendent/Compliance with the Baltimore City Public Schools, where she was responsible for monitoring and compliance issues under a federal consent decree order. She can be reached at Lbluth@aol.com.

Source: Reprinted from School Transportation News. All rights reserved.