Plan a Trip with a Schedule
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What you will learn
- 1Read the stops and trip times on a bus or train schedule
- 2Pick the trip that gets you there with time to spare
- 3Choose a backup trip and allow for delays
- 4Plan the trip home with a grown-up
Mini Lesson
A schedule tells you when each bus or train will be at each stop. It looks like a table full of times, but it is easy to read once you know the trick. Each row is a stop, and each column is one trip from start to end. With a schedule, you and your grown-up can plan a trip so you get there on time - and get home again.
🏠 The Life Skills Way (step by step)
- CHOOSE WHERE AND WHEN: decide where you are going and the time you must be there.
- FIND YOUR STOPS: find the row for the stop where you get on and the row for the stop where you get off.
- READ A COLUMN: run your finger down one column. It shows the time that one trip reaches each stop.
- PICK YOUR TRIP: choose a trip that arrives before you need to be there, with time to spare for the walk in.
- HAVE A BACKUP: aim for the trip before the one you need. If you miss it, the next trip still gets you there, so work out when to leave home for the first one.
- PLAN THE TRIP HOME: look at the trips back and pick one that departs after you finish.
⏰ Leave Time to Spare
- DELAYS HAPPEN: traffic, weather and busy days can make a bus or train late.
- WALKING TIME COUNTS: add the time to walk to the stop, and from the stop to where you are going.
- BE AT THE STOP EARLY: get there a few minutes before the trip is due, so you do not see it pull away.
- CHECK ON THE DAY: schedules can change, so your grown-up checks the times again before you leave.
Always plan and take the trip with a grown-up. Your grown-up checks the times on the day, keeps the tickets or pass, and decides what to do if a trip is late or canceled. Stay next to your grown-up at the stop and on board, and agree on what to do if you get separated.
Words to know
schedule
A table that shows when each bus or train reaches each stop.
e.g. The schedule said Trip B reaches the Library at 8:55.
trip
One bus or train ride from the start of the route to the end, shown as one column.
e.g. Trip A leaves Pine Street at 8:00.
depart
To leave a stop.
e.g. The bus home departs from the Library at 12:20.
arrive
To reach a stop.
e.g. We arrive at the Library at 8:25.
delay
When a bus or train is late.
e.g. There was a delay, so we were glad we left early.
backup
A second plan you can use if the first one goes wrong.
e.g. Trip B is our backup if we miss Trip A.
💡 Handy Tip: put a ruler or a strip of paper under the row for your stop. Then slide your finger down the column for your trip. Where they cross is your time.
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