Transportation

Before you make plans to do anything that is not at your home, think about how you will get there. Talk to someone you trust before you go anywhere new. If you need help, ask them to help you figure out how to get there and back home.

Planning Transportation

Amy loves taking the bus. She thinks it is fun. When she wants to meet her friends she always tries to take the bus. BUT she always plans her route carefully. If it is a new bus route she gets a friend to take that route with her the first couple times. She makes sure she knows what time the bus stops running too. This way, Amy makes sure she does not get stuck with no way to get home!

Listen

There are different ways of getting around:

1) Walking

If you can get there without a vehicle that is great! BUT think about if it is safe to walk by yourself. Plan your route. If you are coming home after dark, will that be safe? You might need someone to pick you up later. If that is the case, you should ask them in advance.

2) Car

If you are going further away you might need someone to drive you. Ask the person who you want to drive you in advance. This way they can plan to do so. Offer to help pay for the gas or parking if someone drives you often. See if you can share rides with another person. See if your family and your friend’s family can take turns doing the driving.

If a group of you are going somewhere together, try to carpool. This means one driver drives everyone one day or one part of the trip. Then another driver does the next trip. This will make it easier for the drivers. Sharing rides and car-pooling also helps the environment. It is a win/win situation!

Taxis are great for short distances if you have enough money. You can call the taxi company ahead of time to ask about how much the trip will cost. They will not be able to give you the exact amount. This means you need to take enough money to cover a little more than they say. You should also have some extra money to give the driver a tip.

Getting a Ride

Mike and Matt are good friends. They share many interests.They live close to each other. But they also live in the country. This means that their parents have to drive them far to get to their club meetings. So, Mike and Matt carpool. This means that they travel together and they need only one driver for the two of them. They love carpooling. It means they get to spend more time together. Their parents like it because they don’t have to drive so much. It does mean that they and their families have to plan in advance. But when they do, everybody wins!

Listen

3) Public Transit

If you live by a bus route, ask a support worker if you can get transit training. Or ask a family member or friend to ride with you to help you learn routes that are important to you. Practice a few times before riding it alone. To ride the bus, you don’t need to know how to read. Bus drivers will announce the name of your bus stop if you ask them.

It is important also to learn what to do if you get lost–for instance, if you get off at the wrong stop. Be sure that you know where the bus stop is for coming home as well as for going. Sometimes buses only run at certain times of the day. Find out the bus schedule. Ask someone to help you.

Be sure you have the right amount of change to buy bus tickets. You can also purchase a booklet of tickets or a pass ahead of time.

Your city may also have light rail trains or street cars or subways. In some parts of the country you may need to take a water taxi or ferry. All these may need different tickets. The way you pay and get on and off will be different. Ask someone to help you to learn how to use different kinds of transit.

Getting Lost

Steve wanted to meet up with a friend from school. He did not tell anyone where he was going. The bus route was confusing. Steve got lost. Luckily he had a cell phone. From then on, when Steve went out, he made sure he had a plan. He told someone at home where he was going. He asked for help planning his route if he needed it. He always carried his cell phone. If he did get really lost he knew he could ask a bus driver or a policeman for help. Steve has a lot more fun when he does not get lost!

Listen

Activity/Information Sheets