How can I convince my parents to let me get a bus pass?

Question

Gas prices keep getting higher and higher, and I live in LA where gas prices are higher then around most parts of the country. When I ask my parents if I can go somewhere I usually get a "no, gas is too expensive and that's too far away." Yet, when I propose getting a bus pass (which costs as much as about 5 gallons of gas here) they say I can't. How can I convince my parents to let me get a bus pass?

Answer 1

Tell us why they are saying no, then we might be able to help.

Buses in LA are generally safe as long as it's daytime and you stay away from south central, Compton, East LA, etc.

Answer 2

What you need to do is to get the pros and cons about having a bus pass. Not just for you but for them. I am sure that they are worried about your safety. Let them know that it will be more convenient, cheaper and better for the environment. The bus was running before you get on...but you are saving on the fuel you would be using on the car that is not being driven. Hope this is of some help but try and get some more pros in your favor.

Answer 3

Not enough info my friend, What is their reason for saying no. Why can't you just go and get one yourself?

Answer 4

i find it admirable that you are being so proactive and pro-transit!

i agree that there is not enough info - i would assume there is an issue about you being underage, or if you are of age then an issue of relationships between adult children and their parents.  if you are of age, simply go out and buy bus passes yourself and use it.  

if you are underage, you need to find out more of what the issue is?  is the safety?  on the bus? at bus stops?  or is it a step towards more freedom for you, to travel when/where you want without them?  are you really going too far away?  are you traveling with friends, alone, or are you meeting up with people if/when you travel?

many issues here...you need to find out what their main concerns are before you can address them.

safety on the bus should be fine - there is a driver, and there are mechanisms to deal with problems on buses (for sure the driver has a secret way to contact someone such as dispatch, supervisor, or police) and there may/probably are video and audio recording systems on board as well.  even my city's transit system has that, and we are only 110,000 people in illinois.

bus stops can be trickier.  some technology such as bus gps, "next bus in xx minutes" signs, having timetables/maps, and above all using well-lit and well-patronized bus stops can reduce your waiting time at bus stops.  

my suspicion would be that they can control what/when/who/where you do things, and if you get an unlimited/monthly bus pass, you will have freedom and they will lose control of you.  as an alternative, maybe offer a different choice - buy some multi-ride type of ticket, such as 10pak of tokens or a 10-ride ticket or whatever is sold out there, and that they can hold onto them as well.  you need to ask for tokens, but upon reasonableness of your itinerary or mutual changes to make your itinerary acceptable to parents, they should be granted.  this way at least you get the benefit of saving some money by buying multi-ride, and they still have some control by at least knowing when/where you are traveling.  over time and build some trust, then perhaps a weekly or monthly unlimited ride ticket can be considered.

by all means, encourage them to take some trips with you too, so that they become familiar with the bus themselves, and with the locations that you want to travel to.  this will encourage you as a family to spend some time together and talk and visit, and that they can observe things that you might not notice and they can help teach you to be safer.  ask them to teach you these things, because you need to learn these important life lessons, and you want them to be the ones to teach them to you.

include them in some of your things so that they can see that they are raising an intelligent and caring daughter.  over time, you'll find that they'll give you more freedom, it's just that they want to ensure that you are safe.  and there are lots of kooks out there, so listen to them.  but dont be a hermit, get them to take you out to teach you these things.  that will be the biggest gift they can give to you, teaching you how to be self-sufficient when you become an adult.

if you want, you should read some additional transit web sites that talk about riding buses, pedestrian safety, technology, and so on.

for starters, you can check out www.cumtd.com.  we have grade school kids, high school kids, university students, and adults of all incomes, races, and abilities/disabilities all using transit in our community.  we have over 10 million rides a year!!!!! on a population base of 110,000 people.  our transit district is very proactive in many safety measures, which you can read on their website.

this may help you too in bringing up points to your parents.  your transit system may not have all of this technology stuff yet, but that would make you an ideal advocate to push them to add these features.  check it out, and i look forward to seeing you on the buses soon!

Answer 5

It depends on how old you are. If you are too young (even if it's in you parents' eyes only) it may not be safe. Just keep on pushing that it will be cheaper. Maybe you could convince them that they could save money if all of you rode the bus more often. Public Transportation is much more viable in a big city like LA or NY.