Parent taxi service

foolofbeans · 9 October 2015 at 11:16AM

We live in a rural area miles from everything.
I have two teenagers at home and they understandably can feel quite isolated sometimes. I take them to youth club a couple of times a week and into town once a week.
Teen at college has a bus pass for the college bus. Unfortunately it only does two journeys a week - one in (8am) and one out (5pm). Teen at college finishes a half day one day a week. Should I collect them or make the wait for the paid for bus?
I have collected a couple of times but it's a 25 mile round trip, we can't really afford unnecessary journeys and the time taken cuts into my working day (although I work at home so fairly flexible).

I just feel a bit mean limiting journeys but feel if I didn't I would be used as more of a free taxi service than I am now.

jackieblack · 9 October 2015 at 11:24AM

I think it depends what facilities there are for them to wait.
If there's a library or similar they can go to, to do work then I'd ask them to do that and get the bus.

If it means they'll be hanging around the streets for several hours, I'd drive in and pick up on that one day only

Oakie · 9 October 2015 at 11:31AM

Maybe junior could use his half day to visit the library ,he could do homework or extra reading in his subject.

Jagraf · 9 October 2015 at 11:37AM

Hi there op.

I'm assuming the college stays open during the half day - your teen could get their homework done there instead.

My DD has ten mile trip on school bus for A levels, she has lots of 'frees' but stays at school every day for the full day, I don't fetch her.

You are not being mean x

Ozzuk · 9 October 2015 at 11:48AM

Looking at it from another angle, I'm guessing you chose to live remotely and not them so maybe this is the price you have to pay to ensure they are socially included.

I'm not a parent though so really don't have much of a clue!

euronorris · 9 October 2015 at 11:58AM

Is supporting one of them with obtaining a driving licence, and a car, an option (if old enough)?

onlyroz · 9 October 2015 at 12:01PM

Could they cycle? Are they old enough for a car or moped of their own? Could they get a bus to a closer location and you pick them up from there?

comeandgo · 9 October 2015 at 12:07PM

I would think the child at college should have the sense to realise what it costs you in time and money to pick them up and suggest themselves that they will amuse themselves by going to library or somewhere safe until normal bus time.

martinsurrey · 9 October 2015 at 12:11PM

comeandgo wrote: »

I would think the child at college should have the sense to realise what it costs you in time and money to pick them up and suggest themselves that they will amuse themselves by going to library or somewhere safe until normal bus time.

I would think the parent should have the sense to realise what their choice of living arrangements would have on their child...

My parents decided to live in the sticks, they didn't complain when I asked to be fetched and carried so I could have a normal social and home life.

PasturesNew · 9 October 2015 at 12:13PM

Leave them to wait for the proper bus. They'll find somewhere to go/something to do.

When I was growing up we didn't get any lifts here/there.

onomatopoeia99 · 9 October 2015 at 12:14PM

I lived in the middle of nowhere with no public transport worth mentioning as a child. It was a 10 mile ride on the school bus and even when I had paid for my own driving lessons (parents pay for those for their children?) I wasn't allowed to take one of my parents' cars into school - our home was a five minute walk from where they both worked, they would come home at lunchtimes. Their reasoning was that if the bus broke down the school was responsible for getting me there, if the car broke down I was effectively playing truant. This was back in the days of points and condensor ignition and stromberg carburettors that would stop the car if there was a pinhole in the diaphram, so cars did break down.

So, even if I had a free period first or last thing I had to wait for the school bus. It was rubbish, but nothing I could do. It presented a similar problem with seeing friends, they all lived 5 miles or more away and no way to get there.

Kept my head down, went to university and never moved back.

Parent taxi service

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