That post had me puzzled and a bit worried, till I realised the typo resolved as "first flight" not "fist fight"!!
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age for solo child travel
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That post had me puzzled and a bit worried, till I realised the typo resolved as "first flight" not "fist fight"!!
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Jegerpizza
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, its fixed now 
i really should seen that before posting 
Some great answers folks. Food for thought re my own child.
As regards helicopter parenting, I do some work for a coach company. On the same school run, I am always surprised by two year 7 girls who walk from the bus stop to home, contrasted with a sixth form girl whose mother meets her at the stop every night (and looking on the paperwork, her home address would be about 3 minutes walk from the stop).
I'm going to make a guess here that this girl isn't allowed to go clubbing or have boyfriends.
As regards helicopter parenting, I do some work for a coach company. On the same school run, I am always surprised by two year 7 girls who walk from the bus stop to home, contrasted with a sixth form girl whose mother meets her at the stop every night (and looking on the paperwork, her home address would be about 3 minutes walk from the stop).
I'm going to make a guess here that this girl isn't allowed to go clubbing or have boyfriends.
70014IronDuke
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I was allowed to go on a 10-mile, half day trip, with an older lad at 9.
By 10 I was solo on short, 10-mile trips, and bunked my first sheds. This quickly climbed to 20-mile. London was a no-no though, until I was 13, and then was allowed to go with a group of lads. Staying with my aunt at 13, she refused to let me go to the Isle of Wight (she didn't think I could handle the boat) so I said I was going to Eastleigh and went anyway. At 16, with an LMR rover, I was on the cushions Euston - Preston/Barrow and v v every night, or back north on 04.25 St Pancras - Derby.
I dare say my parents were having kittens, and had they known some of the folks I met, they would have learned that they were fully justified. Somehow survived it all.
And people said you can't learn anything from trainspotting. Ha !
Wouldn't dream of letting a kid do it today though.
Incidentally, isn't there a law on leaving kids at home alone - an offence if they are under 8 or some such? I don't know if something similar also applies to unsupervised travel. At least beyond a certain distance from home.
xxxxx
By 10 I was solo on short, 10-mile trips, and bunked my first sheds. This quickly climbed to 20-mile. London was a no-no though, until I was 13, and then was allowed to go with a group of lads. Staying with my aunt at 13, she refused to let me go to the Isle of Wight (she didn't think I could handle the boat) so I said I was going to Eastleigh and went anyway. At 16, with an LMR rover, I was on the cushions Euston - Preston/Barrow and v v every night, or back north on 04.25 St Pancras - Derby.
I dare say my parents were having kittens, and had they known some of the folks I met, they would have learned that they were fully justified. Somehow survived it all.
And people said you can't learn anything from trainspotting. Ha !
Wouldn't dream of letting a kid do it today though.
Incidentally, isn't there a law on leaving kids at home alone - an offence if they are under 8 or some such? I don't know if something similar also applies to unsupervised travel. At least beyond a certain distance from home.
xxxxx
I travelled by train and bus to school from the age of 11, having previously only walked 10-15 minutes to primary school on my own. My mum and I did the trip one day the week before I started and she travelled with me on my first day (considerately splitting up before we caught the bus so as not to embarrass me - she travelled to the stop after my school). Oddly my parents initially picked my up from the station, except on Wednesdays when I travelled earlier and got myself all the way home, using an additional bus.
Once I was 14, I had a Metrocard and travelled around West Yorkshire on my own, simply having to let my parents know what time I would be home. When I was 17 I started doing long distance journeys on my own, often staying at random stations overnight (including Preston, Carlisle and Leeds). It's only much later that I've thought it might be seen as slightly odd to be waved off at 8pm at Dumfries as I got myself home - or leaving home around 10pm to head for a day in London the next day.
My parents almost never needed to act as a taxi service for me unless it was an event they were also attending.
Once I was 14, I had a Metrocard and travelled around West Yorkshire on my own, simply having to let my parents know what time I would be home. When I was 17 I started doing long distance journeys on my own, often staying at random stations overnight (including Preston, Carlisle and Leeds). It's only much later that I've thought it might be seen as slightly odd to be waved off at 8pm at Dumfries as I got myself home - or leaving home around 10pm to head for a day in London the next day.
My parents almost never needed to act as a taxi service for me unless it was an event they were also attending.
At age three, no more than three years and three months, I would walk alone to the newsagent's shop (all of 50 yards but across a minor street) with a ha'penny in hand and buy some sweets. The shopkeeper knew who I was and had the ration book under the counter so he could clip it. This in Wallasey in 1951.
Good gosh, when we were young we were always jumping on the Metro down to the coast - mustve been about 6 first time I d say. And then around 8 I was allowed to travel many miles on the train on me own to go to/from School. Never kidnapped, never any bother on the train and I am sure I turned out ok!
Robertj21a
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The earlier post about children in Germany reflects my own experience there, and in Poland. It's all perfectly normal (indeed, encouraged) for children to go to school independently from, about 7 years old. I've seen them, usually with massive back packs full of books, travelling on trains, trams, buses etc across quite busy areas. Good for them.
Those parents who 'mollycoddle' their kids by transporting them everywhere are doing them no real favours in the longer term.
Those parents who 'mollycoddle' their kids by transporting them everywhere are doing them no real favours in the longer term.
I was 14 when I first travelled by myself and that was from York to spend a day in London. Only problem I had is the guard thought I was about 16 and wouldn't take it even when I showed him my birth certificate (which I always carry a photocopy of incase these events arise). Other than that no bother with the local services and the tube down there.
It depends on the child. I know plenty of people 13/14 now who I probably wouldn't let on the bus by themselves. If you have good confidence, knowledge of public transport and experience as well as knowing the area you are travelling to then I don't see a problem with age say 11+ (Secondary School age)
It depends on the child. I know plenty of people 13/14 now who I probably wouldn't let on the bus by themselves. If you have good confidence, knowledge of public transport and experience as well as knowing the area you are travelling to then I don't see a problem with age say 11+ (Secondary School age)
deltic
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Depending on where you are in the country it is not unusual to see school children travelling to school by train from 7/8 onwards on their own - when my children were at primary school there were long debates about what age children should be allowed to go home on their own (mainly walking but some would catch the bus and possibly the tube) - it was agreed that they could do so from year 5 - however some younger would turn up to school on their alone. The concern was that the school was on a very busy London street with limited crossing places. I think I went on a train on my own for the first time when I was 14/15 when I bunked off school to go trainspotting including traveling from Manchester to York!
theblackwatch
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I suspect I was about 8 the first time I travelled on a train - just a trip to York to meet my dad who was already there. When I was 11, my Grandma and her sister took me, my brother and cousin to London for the day, but in reality it was me taking all of them - despite living 200 miles away, I knew my way round the tube network and although it was a sightseeing trip, we managed to end up on the end of the platform at London Bridge station for an hour in the evening rush hour. 
Even from the first year of primary school, we used to get the bus to school - parents would take us to the bus stop and make sure we got on, then meet us off it after school.
Even from the first year of primary school, we used to get the bus to school - parents would take us to the bus stop and make sure we got on, then meet us off it after school.
MisterT
Member
An interesting topic 
I would say it depends on the child and the how often the child has used PT before. My parents let me travel on my own when I was 13 years old on international journeys (I'm from The Netherlands, and have travelled via Germany to Switzerland), but I had a public transportation card for the Netherlands from the age of 6 or 7 and travelled a lot on the Dutch railway and bus network before, so I knew my way around.
I would say it depends on the child and the how often the child has used PT before. My parents let me travel on my own when I was 13 years old on international journeys (I'm from The Netherlands, and have travelled via Germany to Switzerland), but I had a public transportation card for the Netherlands from the age of 6 or 7 and travelled a lot on the Dutch railway and bus network before, so I knew my way around.
ThePannier
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Quite an interesting thread, if I can voice my thoughts:
As a teenager, I've travelled on the train, by myself, several times. They have never been massive journeys; such as London to Edinburgh, but what I would call a ''hop'', between Newcastle and Durham, and Newcastle and Sunderland. If I was refused travel based on my age; I would feel almost discriminated against.
I suppose the length of the journey does have an effect. A short journey doesn't seem bad, but if I was a parent, I wouldn't like the idea of my son/daughter doing a lengthy journey from the bottom of England to the top of Scotland.
As I prefer buses over trains (purely personal preference, I have much more knowledge of the former than the latter!), I can't understand any problems with a child using the bus alone. Obviously, I'm not talking about a 4 year old doing Durham to Newcastle by themselves. I know an independant operator in the North East; Jim Hughes Coaches, recently started a service between Newcastle and Blackpool, the B66 express. I was thinking about using it, until I discovered I would be refused travel due to being under the age of 16, and would require an adult to make the journey with. That, I think, is understandable, as it is such a long journey. But that said, you could use that argument for children making long distance train journeys alone.
As a teenager, I've travelled on the train, by myself, several times. They have never been massive journeys; such as London to Edinburgh, but what I would call a ''hop'', between Newcastle and Durham, and Newcastle and Sunderland. If I was refused travel based on my age; I would feel almost discriminated against.
I suppose the length of the journey does have an effect. A short journey doesn't seem bad, but if I was a parent, I wouldn't like the idea of my son/daughter doing a lengthy journey from the bottom of England to the top of Scotland.
As I prefer buses over trains (purely personal preference, I have much more knowledge of the former than the latter!), I can't understand any problems with a child using the bus alone. Obviously, I'm not talking about a 4 year old doing Durham to Newcastle by themselves. I know an independant operator in the North East; Jim Hughes Coaches, recently started a service between Newcastle and Blackpool, the B66 express. I was thinking about using it, until I discovered I would be refused travel due to being under the age of 16, and would require an adult to make the journey with. That, I think, is understandable, as it is such a long journey. But that said, you could use that argument for children making long distance train journeys alone.
Liam_Hendry
Member
By the time I was 11, I was taking the train from Perth-Inverurie (just over 2 hours involving a change at Aberdeen) each month to visit family. By 14 I was taking the train to Sheffield to visit family also, which involved a change at Edinburgh/Glasgow and/or Doncaster (in a rare case Warrington), which usually took around 5 hours. With my Great Uncle working for BR in Wales and Berkshire, and with my dad and his brother being Conductor and Driver in Scotland, I had good knowlage of the railways, and at 15, in the summer I will be taking the train to Dover (8 hour journey) to meet my sister before taking the ferry to Calais.
I dont think its a just case of age (Although I would say maybe 10+), but more on how competent they are within the railway, how mature they are, how confident they are travelling solo and also how confident the parents are - after all, it is up to them.
I dont think its a just case of age (Although I would say maybe 10+), but more on how competent they are within the railway, how mature they are, how confident they are travelling solo and also how confident the parents are - after all, it is up to them.
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DeeGee
Member
The village next to ours had only an infant school. It's children would feed into the juniors either in our village or the next one along the valley the other way. There was a perfectly located Maidston and District service bus line from the village in either direction, and children aged 7 would all happily pile on. Sometimes we'd be invited to visit our friends in the next village for tea or play and I'd happily get on the bus myself to do this.
From age 11 there were many kids who commuted to our secondary school by train. I would frequently get on my bike, go to the station, stick my bike in the guard's van and go up to the Medway Towns.
Thirteen I was travelling with a friend unaccompanied from Maidstone to Brighton into and out of Victoria.
At no point during these journeys did I ever have a mobile telephone.
From age 11 there were many kids who commuted to our secondary school by train. I would frequently get on my bike, go to the station, stick my bike in the guard's van and go up to the Medway Towns.
Thirteen I was travelling with a friend unaccompanied from Maidstone to Brighton into and out of Victoria.
At no point during these journeys did I ever have a mobile telephone.
transmanche
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Serious question: is there any specific reason why you wouldn't allow a child of yours benefit from the freedom you had at the same age?
--- old post above --- --- new post below ---
Ignoring long-distance journeys for a moment, TfL issue a '5-10 Zip card' which children aged 5-10 can use unaccompanied to get free travel on LU/LO/DLR/TfL rail/NR green routes. (Without one they can still travel for free on buses, but can only travel free on TfL's rail services when accompanied by an adult.)
So that implies that TfL are happy to accept young children travelling unaccompanied on the tube.[*]
* Although by the fact that a parent/guardian has to apply for the 5-10 Zip card, it effectively means TfL have parental permission for a child to travel unaccompanied.
Biggest risk is getting kidnapped by a busybody social worker who decides the kid needs "care".
Really? Or is that an unjustified slur on social workers?
My primary school was around the corner from our house, but it wasn't until Year 5 (age 10) that I was allowed to go to school alone. Wasn't until Year 6 that I went home alone too, but then my dad did collect my younger brother in the afternoon so there wasn't really any difference.
High school was 1.2 miles away but during the first two years I only went home by myself twice. I was always taken to/from school by car. Crime and safety was the reason my parents gave. Even though we live in a good area, I was bullied in school at that time. It was Year 9 when I had a three week period of using the bus, as my mum was away, and as I handled that well my parents became slightly more lax in always ensuring they were free around school times, remaining that way until I left in Year 13. I preferred going by car if at the beginning or end of the day but at other times during Year 11 study leave and sixth form I used the bus.
It was by Year 9 I really stopped getting bullied, but I never really had any close friends which meant I was never allowed out to socialise outside school times. Having said that, at the age of 14 I was allowed out to socialise with others living on the estate (a very nice Housing Association owned one
), but it was no substitute for going out somewhere with friends 
.
I was allowed to go on the bus to somewhere local. But just going out and about on public transport I had to wait for until I was 16, and neither were easy to be allowed to get permission for at first.
But yes, my parents being overprotective and making me feel uncomfortable in being able to open up to them when I was younger resulted in me losing trust.
High school was 1.2 miles away but during the first two years I only went home by myself twice. I was always taken to/from school by car. Crime and safety was the reason my parents gave. Even though we live in a good area, I was bullied in school at that time. It was Year 9 when I had a three week period of using the bus, as my mum was away, and as I handled that well my parents became slightly more lax in always ensuring they were free around school times, remaining that way until I left in Year 13. I preferred going by car if at the beginning or end of the day but at other times during Year 11 study leave and sixth form I used the bus.
It was by Year 9 I really stopped getting bullied, but I never really had any close friends which meant I was never allowed out to socialise outside school times. Having said that, at the age of 14 I was allowed out to socialise with others living on the estate (a very nice Housing Association owned one
), but it was no substitute for going out somewhere with friends .I was allowed to go on the bus to somewhere local. But just going out and about on public transport I had to wait for until I was 16, and neither were easy to be allowed to get permission for at first.
But yes, my parents being overprotective and making me feel uncomfortable in being able to open up to them when I was younger resulted in me losing trust.
d1672
Member
Hi,
In 1966, when I was 13, I was travelling on a regular basis using a free pass to travel overnight from Glasgow Central to London Euston. Spent the day trainspotting and got the 2100 from St. Pancras back to Glasgow. Out Friday night and back Saturday night. I did this for weeks until my pass got clipped. I normally got at least 3 or 4 weekends out of each pass. I did this for quite a few years until I joined the Railway in my own right when I left school. I am 62 now and I can't recall any unpleasant incidents on these trains. How times have changed.
By the way, I used to try and remain awake until Leeds on the return journey from St. Pancras but seldom managed to be still awake by Derby. Loco changes at Nottingham and Leeds.
Great days and memories,
Thomas
In 1966, when I was 13, I was travelling on a regular basis using a free pass to travel overnight from Glasgow Central to London Euston. Spent the day trainspotting and got the 2100 from St. Pancras back to Glasgow. Out Friday night and back Saturday night. I did this for weeks until my pass got clipped. I normally got at least 3 or 4 weekends out of each pass. I did this for quite a few years until I joined the Railway in my own right when I left school. I am 62 now and I can't recall any unpleasant incidents on these trains. How times have changed.
By the way, I used to try and remain awake until Leeds on the return journey from St. Pancras but seldom managed to be still awake by Derby. Loco changes at Nottingham and Leeds.
Great days and memories,
Thomas
Robertj21a
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My primary school was around the corner from our house, but it wasn't until Year 5 (age 10) that I was allowed to go to school alone. Wasn't until Year 6 that I went home alone too, but then my dad did collect my younger brother in the afternoon so there wasn't really any difference.
High school was 1.2 miles away but during the first two years I only went home by myself twice. I was always taken to/from school by car. Crime and safety was the reason my parents gave. Even though we live in a good area, I was bullied in school at that time. It was Year 9 when I had a three week period of using the bus, as my mum was away, and as I handled that well my parents became slightly more lax in always ensuring they were free around school times, remaining that way until I left in Year 13. I preferred going by car if at the beginning or end of the day but at other times during Year 11 study leave and sixth form I used the bus.
It was by Year 9 I really stopped getting bullied, but I never really had any close friends which meant I was never allowed out to socialise outside school times. Having said that, at the age of 14 I was allowed out to socialise with others living on the estate (a very nice Housing Association owned one
I was allowed to go on the bus to somewhere local. But just going out and about on public transport I had to wait for until I was 16, and neither were easy to be allowed to get permission for at first.
But yes, my parents being overprotective and making me feel uncomfortable in being able to open up to them when I was younger resulted in me losing trust.
Thanks for that. I've always been a bit concerned by these parents who seem to be over protective. It's all very understandable of course (and rather better than the opposite situation) but the child invariably seems to grow up to be a more anxious and generally less confident individual.
I know good parenting is difficult but if the right balance isn't achieved it can do a lot of harm.
In the early seventies I walked to school alone as a 5 year old. We lived on the same road as the school and there were no roads to cross so there were no safety concerns. I was pretty immature though. I was one of the youngest at the school and didn't like going. Apparently on one occasion I was found at the park by myself when I should have been at school.
We moved house when I was 6. My new school wasn't so close and the journey also involved a crossing a couple of roads. My mum walked me and my younger sister to school for the first few days but once we knew the route we went by ourselves, as did most of the kids in the village.
At 11 I started going to the school in the next village, which I usually walked to, unless I was feeling lazy then I could pay 7p of my own money to get the bus.
I can't recall ever getting a lift to or from school the whole time I was there, very few kids did in those days.
70014IronDuke
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I guess it's down to parental emotions! We had a girl, who was not into spotting Coronations 50 mile distant at age 10, so it was easier
It just 'feels' more dangerous out there today. Whether it is or not is another matter.
I remember an occasion when my daughter was still short of her fifth birthday. We'd travelled out of Milan on the inter-urban tram to Desio and wandered round to the FS Station of the same name for a train back to the city centre. My Italian is all but useless and whilst I was wanting a ticket for the two of us, the ticket clerk was becoming increasingly convinced that I was intending to put my child on the train by herself. When we finally came to a common understanding his sense of relief was a joy to behold!
Robertj21a
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If it's anything like my experience on the tram to Desio, he's probably more concerned that the roaming ticket inspectors (who try to catch everyone with 'city only' tickets) won't be able to get a penalty fare off her !
DeeGee
Member
70014IronDuke:2215529 said:
The feeling that I get is that the biggest danger is the roads. They are a lot busier than they were in the late 70s and early 80s when I was a boy. However, cars are less likely to kill you at low speed, and a lower proportion of drivers will be drunk.
Most of the 'dodgy' people will be where the kids are. Nowadays, that's at home on the internet. In the 70s, that was 'It's a Knockout' or the Radio 1 Roadshow.
Actually, statistically speaking, parents and close relatives are much more of a danger to children than strangers.
This is true.
Personally, I feel that social workers are a very much maligned bunch who are often caught between a roc and a hard place, where if they don't do anything they are accused of laziness and negligence, and if they do they are busybodies who are likely to kidnap your kids!
In my view, the video that was linked to earlier is filled with nonsense.
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