During our younger school years, many of us rode the bus every day to and from school without thinking much of it. Ideas such as the benefits of public transportation, timeliness and the cost of gas did not occur to us. It was just what we did.
Once we hit high school, driving to school starts to become a reality, not just a distant dream or something our older cousins and siblings did. During freshman year, many people turn 15 and get their permits. They take drivers ed, get their driving hours and do their classroom time. Sophomore year is the big one. You finally turn 16 and can get your driver’s license. By junior year, some people have a car. You can finally buy a parking spot at school and drive yourself there and back each day. By senior year, driving to and from school can simply be a part of your routine.
It can be very convenient, especially if you play sports or are a part of any other after-school activities. You do not have to have your parents drive you all over the place or worry about where you are getting a ride from. You can help out your underclassmen friends or stop for food or whatever you want on the way back.
In the mornings, you have the option to take either Early Bird PE or late-start and create the schedule you want. Even if you do not pick either of these options, you do not have to stress about missing the bus if you are running late that morning. You can stop for coffee or breakfast on your way there to help get you moving in those early mornings.
When you put it like that, it sounds great. Why would someone not want to do this? But there are many reasons someone might not choose to drive that are worth considering. The price of gas is one thing. The prices change frequently and always seem to be going up. I bet you would be surprised how much money many high school students spend on gas in a month, let alone in a whole year.
And then there is pollution. I know the effects of pollution on things like climate change and global warming are a very controversial topic, but regardless of what you believe, I think we can agree that exhaust and pollution are bad for our world. Public transportation is a great way to cut down on the amount of pollution that is being released each day. Instead of hundreds of cars, there are a few buses.
According to the Illinois Report Card, there were 1,228 students at Kaneland High School in the 2023-2024 school year. 638 of these students were upperclassmen. Let’s say that the number of upperclassmen who do not drive is about equal to the number of sophomores who have their driver’s license, there are about 640 students driving to and from school each day. There are 11 high school bus routes and nine routes with middle school and high school combined in our district. That adds to about 660 vehicles polluting the air as they travel to and from our high school each day. And that it is not even counting the teachers.
Another benefit of riding the bus that is often not acknowledged is timeliness. The bus will almost always get you to school in time for the school day. If something happens, like busy traffic or bad weather, then you are excused from whatever class time you missed. When you are driving, if you are late, you are tardy unless your parents call you in, no matter the circumstances.
Safety is a big reason to consider taking the bus. A lot of teens do not get a full night of sleep every night before school or even most school nights. Sleep deprivation has a huge impact on your brain when you are driving. A study by the National Library of Medicine titled “On-road driving impairment following sleep deprivation differs according to age” reveals that people of all ages drive worse when they have not slept enough. It further goes on to say that younger people drive worse than older adults when they are missing the same amount of sleep.
Driving to school in the morning among many other sleep deprived teens is potentially very dangerous. On Keslinger Road, right in front of our school, there have been many car crashes and incidents. Additionally, our parking lot is super full and hard to get in and out of.
No matter what way you look at it, there are multiple benefits to riding the bus. While it may not be a realistic idea for many people due to before- or after-school activities, for everyone else, it is worth considering. Even if you have something going on before or after school, you could still ride the bus on the days you do not. Bus stops are posted on each student’s Infinite Campus. Find yours and simply turn up there at the appointed hour; put on your music and relax on the way to or from school tomorrow.
