With gas prices at all-time highs, taking your car on a road trip—even a short one into town—could really cost you. So why not just take public transit? Oh, you’ll have kids in tow. Don’t worry we’ve pulled together all the best tips from the parents, grandparents, aunts, and uncles at Trapeze and transit agencies on how to make taking transit with kids stress free—and fun.
If you don’t usually ride transit, taking transit somewhere new, or taking transit in a new city, you need to plan ahead. Taking a trip with kids means you need to eliminate guesswork as much as possible. You need to know where you’re going, how long it will take, all the steps along the way, and even backup plans if something goes wrong.
You can use:
Or another transit planning tool to make sure you have all your ducks in a row for your little ducklings. The last thing you need to be doing is trying to figure out your stop or connection while also keeping an eye on the kids.
Planning ahead will save you a lot of grief and make the trip go smoothly.
Public transit is one of the safest ways to get around a city, but there are still rules to follow. Make sure kids know:
It’s also a good time to reinforce not only not talking to strangers, but also who are the safe strangers who can help—police, operators, transit employees—if they get separated from you. And it never hurts to build in the habit of thanking your bus operator when you get off the bus.
Fare cards are the easiest way to get around any transit system. Tap and go is much better than hunting for money and buying tickets when you have kids (and stuff) to juggle. Some transit systems have payment apps where your ticket is on your phone—one less thing to keep track of—on other systems you can load a day pass onto a fare card or buy a day pass ticket from a machine.
Whatever your option is, figure it all out ahead of time. If you need to buy passes when you start your trip, you know and can plan for that delay.
It’s also a good idea to understand how fares work for kids. Kids ride free on a lot transit systems, but others pay a reduced fare. If you need to have a pass for each kid (and adult), it’s better to know that before you start out than when you get to a stop, station, or transit hub.
This is hand in hand with planning your trip ahead. If there is an app or website for the transit system, have it on your phone all ready and set up before you leave the house. Transit system apps are invaluable tools for planning your trip, checking out route maps, or answering questions along the way.
Here in Vancouver—and New England—there’s a saying, if you don’t like the weather, wait a minute it will change. Once you leave the house you need to plan for all the unexpected things. Having raincoats, hats, and all the rest makes sure you don’t have to dash for cover when a shower hits.
As a parent, you know all this, but it’s worth a reminder, right?
Having snacks, water, and stuff to keep kids occupied are standard “heading out for an adventure” items, but also carry things like:
Keep all these supplies in a good backpack or bag. Maybe even let older kids have their own bag with their coat, treats, and activities. Next to having all the stuff handy, is having it in something you can easily carry for the day.
If you have a stroller you might be able to park it near the front of the bus in a handicapped spot, but you might also have to fold it and stow it. Ask your operator when you get to the stop for what the right thing is for the bus.
Unless you have to be at the zoo, museum, or activity at a certain time, avoid travelling at rush hour. It’s just that little bit harder to wrangle kids and stuff when you have a bus packed with grownups heading to work. Even something as simple as needing time to get a stroller on board or making sure kids have a seat—your parental stare-of-death might not get everyone to give up their seat—is tougher on a packed bus or train.
It’s a fact of life that when kids have to go, they have to go, and always at the least convenient time (“I didn’t have to go when you asked…”). A lot of places don’t have easy access to public washrooms, so when you see a bathroom…everybody goes!
While a lot of transit hubs or stations don’t have bathrooms, malls and restaurants will. Don’t be afraid to pop into a restaurant with a child in tow and ask to use the bathroom in a pinch. And if you happen to be at a fast food place, well that’s just a bonus for a snack (and a thank you for helping).
Recently my wife and daughter traveled from our place outside of Vancouver into the city on transit. Translink has big double-decker buses on the route that go from the suburbs into transit hubs, and my daughter loved riding on the top level, sitting at the front, and watching everything go by. She was really looking forward to riding the big bus, but then getting to ride at the front of the Canada Line subway line was even cooler.
When you ride transit you get to see everything about a city. You’re not focusing on driving, finding parking, and negotiating a city, you can point out landmarks, talk about places you visited before, and just enjoy the trip. You get to count the stops until you get off. Look at the art at different stations. Listen to buskers playing music. All the vibrant parts of trip to the city you miss when you’re driving.
When you take transit, and not in the driver’s seat, you can be fully engaged with your kids and the adventure you’re going on.
The freedom of a transit pass to explore the city on their own, for a lot of teens it’s one their first steps towards independence. Adelee Le Grand talked about growing up in New York City and travelling across the boroughs on her own. For parents the question is a little bigger. You need to consider both your teen and the rules in your location. There might be rules how old a child must be to travel alone on the system. Your transit system website should have the answer, and if they don’t, ask!
Assuming your teen is old enough to travel alone, they should follow all the tips above—even the bathroom one—when they are out. They should:
After that, all that’s left is the parental worry, and we’re all just stuck with that.
Trapeze is full of people passionate about public transit. We’re all proud transit nerds and love to help people have a stress-free transit experience.
Trapeze Traveler Experience solutions for fixed route and rail give transit agencies the tools they need to keep riders in the loop with critical updates, route changes, and trip planning solutions.
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