Traveling on Public Transit in Style

Many children take a bus to school and, as with any public situation, following basic rules of etiquette helps to make the experience more enjoyable for everyone.

Whether your child takes a school bus or uses public transportation, the start of the school year is a good time to review these etiquette rules related to taking buses:

Getting on the bus

While waiting for a bus, it is most polite to form a line. When the bus arrives at the stop, everyone can then board the bus in an orderly fashion without pushing or shoving to get on.

It is not acceptable to arrive late and join friends at the front of the line to board the bus ahead of others who were waiting. However, it is extremely considerate to allow elderly people or people with disabilities to board the bus ahead of you, even if they arrived later.

Where to sit

Children often want to sit beside their friends, but it’s not always possible. If one should see another child sitting on their own, it can be considerate to sit with them, so they are not left out.

On a public bus, it is important to note any seats that are specifically reserved for elderly passengers or those with disabilities and to vacate those seats when they are needed.

Being respectful of others

Although students may be excited to see and talk with their friends, they should keep their voices low so they don’t distract the driver or other passengers. The same is true for the volume of MP3 Players or iPods. Other people should not be able to hear music played through head phones.

When the bus is moving, passengers should be in their seats or holding on to the available bars or straps. If they are sitting in an aisle seat, feet must be out of the aisle so other passengers can easily get past them.

If the bus has many empty seats, it is acceptable to place belongings on an empty seat, but if another passenger needs the seat, belongings should be removed immediately.

Needless to say, writing on the bus seats or walls, using coarse language, or throwing things on the bus are extremely poor etiquette.

Riding the bus is a privilege that should not be taken for granted. Remind your child that as they travel to and from school they are representing their school, their family, and youth in general.

Whenever students are in public, they need to be aware of and considerate to other people.

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