City buses?

Brigala

CPST Instructor
Do we have any statistics on the safety of city buses? Specifically for child passengers?
My daughter's school will be changing location next year and there's a bus that goes pretty much from my house (well, closest bus stop but it's still a but if a walk) to right in front of her school. There is no school bus service to her school. I'm considering getting a bus pass next year and riding with her on the city bus instead of taking the car. Parking is going to be tighter at the new location and one less car would be nice. K-4 students must be walked to the classroom at this school so no pick-up line to contend with, but there is still a lot of traffic.
We don't talk a lot about city buses here. I'm curious about what we know about them.


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jacqui276

New member
My thoughts is that the safety of them is on par with school buses unless it is packed full and you are standing. I really have no idea for sure though so I'm curious to see others responses.
 

tiggercat

New member
I take the city bus to school. Last week, the bus I was on hit a car. Barely felt it in the bus, car was totalled.

I'm ok with my kids on the city bus on residential streets with reasonable speed limits.
 

gigi

New member
I am 100% OK with city busses. I have been in a few bus accidents, all of them I barely felt a bump, but the cars had damage.
 

Brigala

CPST Instructor
I'm ok with city buses too, just wondering what the relative risk might be compared to driving.
It will be less convenient in the short run but if I do this with her every day for 4 years then when she hits 5th grade and I don't have to walk her to her classroom she can ride the bus to school without me.
On second thought then Alex will be in school and I'll have to take her so maybe that shouldn't factor into my decision. ;)
 

Carrie_R

Ambassador - CPS Technician
My understanding was that they were still statistically safer for the reasons school busses are: they're big (visible,) heavy (lugnut principle,) and the drivers drive the same routes all day every day, knowing where the 'hot spots' are.

I'd do it, IF it were otherwise convenient with the schedule. I just moved, and looked at taking the bus from (more-or-less) my new place to right out in front of my job. 20 minute drive (no traffic, 30-35 with.) 90 minutes on the bus. Plus, not necessarily at the times I want to come/go. I think I could actually bike it faster! So if there is a bus that gets there "around" drop-off time *and* you can hop back on a bus to come home (not be stuck at the school for an hour,) I'd consider it.
 

Brigala

CPST Instructor
The bus runs every 30 minutes and goes both ways by the school. It's an 11 minute ride, or probably 9 minutes in the car. The bus takes the same route I would drive really.

The only inconvenient part would be walking to the bus stop but I can put in a trail next summer through the woods that would cut the half mile or so along surface streets to maybe 2 blocks almost as the crow flies.
 

Brigala

CPST Instructor
Oh, and the bus arrives at 8:09 in front of the school. Doors open at 8:12 currently; classrooms open at 8:15. After 8:25 is tardy. So the timing would be perfect.

Two routes available to get home. One leaves the school at 8:31 and the next at 8:39. Both would get me home before 9.
 

krasota

Well-known member
If the bus has real-time information, keep an eye on it several mornings in a row to see if it's actually on time at that stop.
 

Brigala

CPST Instructor
I drive by it at about that time on my way to get school's current location. But that's a good idea.

As long as it's no more than 10 minutes late it would do though. 8:09 is perfect but we could make it to class if it got there before 8:20.
 

joolsplus3

Admin - CPS Technician
Just googled, it seems the death and injury rate is really, really low.
I used to ride a lot of buses as a kid, it was great for my mom (no school buses at all, school far away, super close stops to school, etc) and easy enough for me.
 

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