Public transit question

[Barb_]

While I agree that it would be no picnic taking a large family on public transit while in San Francisco for three weeks (we live there), I would say that kids who are used to taking public transit know the drill and that does make things LOTS easier.

 

Yeah, I'm sure as difficult as it was, it was easier than trying to drive. I hate driving in the city. I actually used to sit in the window of the apartment and watch other people park. It was fascinating to watch people squeeze in there! I was totally determined not to sit in the apartment all day because I was afraid to take the kids anywhere, and by the end of our visit we had our usual routes down cold. But if we had moved there, I'd have had to live outside the city. There's no way I could have taken that many kids on the bus every day. It was just too crowded and too stressful. I had to giggle at the idea that 6 was just as easy as two.

 

I really miss San Francisco. He had a great place in an old Victorian on Filmore and Sutter. We made great memories :001_smile:

[nmoira]

 

Taking public transit is like many new things...it takes a while to learn the system, but once you do it is easier than you thought (maybe not as convenient as a car). Lots of families I know take transit all the time and are very used to factoring the time it takes. We're always experimenting with the blend.

Familiarity helps because you no longer worry about where to get on and where to get off, and can focus entirely on the kids. I have just two, but they are 2.5 years apart. I carried my youngest as long as possible, but after about 12 months did take a stroller as back-up, an ultra-light-weight stroller that could be collapsed and expanded with one hand. I didn't travel during rush hour, and rarely had trouble finding side-facing seats to tuck it under (even if I had to stand, something I always did if DD wad on my back). Occasionally I'd have to ride with it tucked between my knees, DD straddling one leg. My eldest held on to the diaper bag while we were on the bus. It wasn't a big deal and didn't feel like a production.

[regentrude]

Obviously this is not something you have ever attempted to do. Dh lived and worked in San Francisco for about 4 months last fall. We visited for 3 weeks. .

 

That is precisely why it is so hard. If you live there and did it every day, your five year old would know when the stop came, how do deal with the bus, the older kids would be able to do on their own.

We were using public transportation from 3rd grade on to go to school on our own - it worked because we did it every day.

ETA: In my home town, it is very common to see school classes, as young as preschoolers, using public transit for field trips. Two adults with 25 five year olds - no problem, because all the kids are familiar with bus and tram and know how this is going to work.

Edited April 18, 2011 by regentrude

[southcarolinamom]

I am from Germany and everybody uses public transit. Many people do not have cars. Kids use public transit independently when they are 8.

you can buy family tickets which allow the whole family to ride together at a very low rate, so you do not pay for seven individual tickets.

I see no reason why a larger family should not be able to use public transit. Why would that be a problem? Unless you have sextuplets which are all babies at the same time, there will be some kids who can walk and maybe some who are in a stroller which you wheel into the bus/tram.

As far as shopping goes: if you don't have a car, you go more often. Not a problem. You carry shopping bags or a trolley or a backpack. My friend has five kids, she does her shopping by bicycle with a trailer. My grandmother did the shopping for our family of six; she just walked to the store every day.

The availability of public transit does not mean that everybody has to use it for every kind of errand. Just that it is one more option. Most people will still do a big weekly grocery shopping by car - but might take public transit at other times when they do not have to transport large loads.

 

My in-laws were missionaries in Sweden. My husband would totally agree with your assessment of European public transportation. It's awesome! When I visited his family, we walked several blocks and then picked up the bus to the downtown area, where most of the stores are. Buses in Sweden run every 10 to 15 minutes. Sometimes we took a train into Stockholm. While his family did have a van, gas is very high (think above $6 a gallon). The van was used for large family outings. We also biked places that were within 2 miles of his house.

 

I currently live in a SC city that has bus routes, but the routes don't go out to the suburbs... The closest bus stop to our home is 3 miles. I drive my daughter 3 miles so she can pick up the bus that takes her another 7 miles downtown, to her place of work. It only costs her $1 one way for a student fare, which is cheaper than me taking her and coming home, and then picking her up and bringing her home. Unfortunately, very few people ride our city buses. They are beautifully kept, they look brand new, but 5 or fewer passengers are on the buses at any given time. I don't know how they stay in business.

[Amira]

I really think it comes down to what else you're trying to do besides get somewhere and how many children you have to take with you. I agree that it probably doesn't matter how many kids you have if they're experienced with public transportation and you're just trying to get to and from a place.

 

But if you're trying to do the grocery shopping for a large family on public transportation with kids in tow, it's not so easy, especially since it's likely in the US that you'll have to walk for while in addition to riding the bus, or you'll have to make several transfers. That is not easy with lots of children and lots of stuff and I don't think many families with kids in the US would get used to it, even with practice.

 

Even going out often isn't necessarily practical when you have lots of kids. I think that when people talk about someone going shopping every day, either on foot or on public transportation, they're talking about going by themselves, not with several kids in tow.

 

FWIW, public transporation is widely used where I live, but rarely used by entire families. It's really not a practical or affordable option for larger families.

[stripe]

I agree with Amira; besides, for most people around the world who have a large family, at least some of the kids are old enough to be a) left at home alone, b) left at home with another relative, c) sent to the neighbor, d) play outside by themselves, e) go to school, f) go to work, or g) otherwise do something. It may be more about community support than about public transportation. Most people don't live only with their spouse and kids! In fact, when life has so many challenges, people tend to pick up the slack for each other, whereas in the US today, where so many things are so convenient (running water, stove, frig), no one feels the need. (Who has a wash day anymore, with special low-fuss meals?) In many other places in the world, there are people selling vegetables in a tiny stall on the street corner, for example, not miles away, accessible only by long transport, and small markets selling soap, milk, sugar, and the like.

 

There are also people who wouldn't take all their kids out at one time because it causes too much of a spectacle, not to mention that it's hard to go grocery shopping with 7 tiny children running around. Often a child would be entrusted with those types of errands.

[In The Great White North]

What NPS conveniently forgets is that in most of the US, there are not enough people going in the same direction at the same time to pay for the bus, the driver, the guy selling tickets, making the schedule, etc. even if everyone rode the bus.

 

Public transportation is expensive in Europe too. Kids can get a good deal, and three months of commuting might pay for an annual pass, but for those who have to pay full price (ie. those who have a car or usually ride their bike and use the train as an option every now and again) it is not cheaper.