Educational
Resources

Instructions

Begin by engaging your students with questions about their experiences with public transit.

Who rides the bus regularly?
Who rides the bus to school, or other activities like sports or shopping?
What’s it like riding with friends or family?
Have you started riding the bus on your own?

Growing up BusReady

Lead a conversation on the transition to riding the bus independently as students get older.

What does it mean to have the freedom to travel around your community on your own?
Why is it important to start having independence at your age?
Why is it important to be aware of your surroundings?
How can we show responsibility and problem solving while on the bus?

Core pillars in your Transit Tool Kit

Introduce the three core pillars of being BusReady.

Write these on the board in a mind map, asking students to participate with their own ideas.

Awareness
Keeping your eyes open, noticing what’s around you and being ready for boarding and exiting the bus.
Responsibility
Being on time for the bus, being ready to pay, being kind by offering your seat to those in need, being polite to the driver and fellow passengers.
Problem Solving
Being confident and knowing how to make informed decisions based on changing circumstances or situations that you may encounter while riding the bus.

For older students who may already be seasoned solo riders, consider tailoring the discussion to deepen their understanding of the three pillars. For example,

Share experiences of riding solo and discuss any different precautions or behaviours that might be needed.
Explore how their actions can influence the atmosphere on the bus and impact others experiences.

BusReady Video “How to Stay Safe”

Optional: If your class has access to the Internet and YouTube, consider watching this video which outlines safety tips and situational awareness for riding the bus. Total watch time – 2:03 minutes.

Transit Tool Kit Activity

Download and print “Transit Tool Kit Worksheet” and “Transit Tool Kit Questions” for each student or group.

Groupwork Activity

Hand out the Transit Toolkit downloadable worksheet and questions to your class. One worksheet per student and split the class into groups of 3-4 students per group to foster a supportive environment for open conversation. This collaborative setting encourages students to comfortably exchange and learn from each other’s transit experiences, leading students to embody the core principles of awareness, responsibility and problem solving during the hands-on portion of the lesson.

Instructions

Using the knowledge acquired from discussing the core pillars, have students “build their tool kit” in groups of 3-4 by writing down their situational solutions for riding the bus in adherence to awareness, responsibility and problem solving. The worksheet will ask situational questions such as how to prepare for when the bus arrives to how to approach the driver if you feel unsafe.

Optional

Learning Objectives

Recognize the key role of public transit in maintaining a safe and connected community.
Develop a set of “transit power skills” for personal growth and communal responsibility.
Engage in critical thinking to assess and respond to various transit safety scenarios.

Core Competencies

Commmunication

Develop clear communication strategies for various situations and articulate ideas during discussions and through hands-on activity and groupwork.

Collaboration

Work together to act out scenarios and discuss safety strategies.

Critical Thinking

Analyze safety scenarios, reflect on the best responses, and think of ways to help others feel safe on the bus.

Extensions & Modifications

Extensions

Older students can be tasked with creating a presentation on bus safety statistics and strategies for improving safety awareness. Consider having students create posters sharing what safety strategies they have learned to be posted around the school.

Modifications

For younger students, or those needing more support or explanation, consider watching the following videos and acting out role play scenarios where kids are given prompts on using awareness, responsibility and problem solving.

Recognizing good vs. unacceptable behaviours on the bus.

For inspiration on how to be more aware on the bus, watch this video and then role play on some of the scenarios they see in the video.

Visit the BusReady website and explore each video that discusses what to expect while riding the bus. There are 8 videos in total, and each video is approximately 20-40 seconds long.

Assessment

Assess student engagement and understanding during the scenario discussions.
Evaluate the “Transit Toolkit” sheets for completeness and personal reflection on safety practices.
Consider the creativity and clarity of the safety posters and how well they convey the safety messages.