When we think of school transportation, most of us think of students riding a school bus, walking, riding a bike, or perhaps by car. But in some locations, many students use public mass transit. In fact, a study conducted by the American Public Transportation Association found that students traveling to or from school accounted for fifteen percent of all transit trips (mass transit carried over 7.7 billion passengers in 1998, according to the National Transit Database).

Mass transit is one of the safest forms of transportation, but it is not without risks, particularly for school-age children. Students need to learn to recognize and avoid these risks so they can get to and from school safely.

Safety on a Public Bus

There are a number of critical differences between riding a public transit bus and riding a school bus. Motorists do not have to stop when a public transit bus stops to pick up and drop off school children. Public buses move away from the bus stop as soon as passengers have gotten on or off. The drivers do not supervise children as they cross the street like school bus drivers do. And most public bus stops are at intersections, many of which do not have a traffic light or crossing signal. For these reasons, students who travel to school on a public bus need to observe the following precautions:

Stay seated until the bus comes to a complete stop

Be alert as you get off the bus

Never cross the street in front of a public bus

Wait for the bus to pull away so you have a clear view of the street

Cross at the cross walk or street corner, and wait for the light to turn green or for the WALK signal

Safety on the Subway or Train

Students who travel by subway or commuter train need to learn and observe the following safety rules:

Stand at least two feet away from the edge of the platform

Step carefully over the gap between the train door and the platform

For safety and courtesy, let others leave the train before you enter

Report any unattended packages to a transit police officer, station manager, or train operator

Do not touch the train doors when they are opening or closing

Do not lean against the train doors

Do not run or play in the station-it would be easy to fall off the platform onto the tracks

Do not sit on the edge of the platform

If a seat is not available, hold tightly onto a hand rail at all times.

Do not use rear exit doors to travel from car to car unless directed to do so by a subway or train system employee.

Safety on the Escalator

The escalators found in many subway, train, and bus stations pose a danger to passengers who do not use them correctly. In 1998, there were approximately 8,000 injuries and six deaths associated with escalators in transit stations. When riding an escalator, students should know and observe the following rules for safety and courtesy:

Step on and off quickly and carefully

Hold the handrail

Don’t touch the sides of the escalator below the handrail

For courtesy, stand to the right and walk on the left

Always stand and face forward-never sit on the steps

Keep hands, feet, and clothing clear of moving parts-loose shoe laces, bulky sweaters or coats, rubber boots, and baggy clothes can get caught and cause injury

Always wear shoes on an escalator

Check the direction of the escalator before taking the first step-never walk up the down escalator, or vice versa

Never stop, stand, or play at an escalator landing-it can cause a dangerous pileup