Attending school is required by law up until a certain age. However, reaching school can be an easy feat for some, but a difficult experience for others.

Many students and student parents choose to ride the bus to school. Unfortunately, many of the students interviewed do not experience pleasant rides on the bus.

For example, senior Michael Epke has been riding the bus for 11 years.

“I live out of town and since I was a kid, my grandma has had the same work schedule, and I was never able to get a ride,” Epke said. “It is a reliable ride to school and home when you’re not sure of another way.”

Sophomore Max Peine, who’s been riding for about a year, uses the bus because he doesn’t like driving.

“Riding the bus takes too much time,” Peine said. “If I could, I wouldn’t ride the bus ever again.”

Junior Megan Scott has been riding all of her years of high school.

“A bus will pick you up from Hays High and it will take you to the Bus Barn,” Scott said. “After that, you transfer to the bus that will take you home.”

All three students agree the bus schedule limits a person’s ability to do things after school.

Piene said riding the bus doesn’t really affect him now, but will probably get in the way when he goes out for baseball in the spring.

Riding the bus also gets in the way of spending time with friends, getting help with teachers and detentions, Epke said.

“Sometimes I want to get home by a certain time, but it depends on what route we take,” Scott said. “There are days where I just want to get home as soon as possible and I’ll end up being the last one off. That can be very frustrating.

It can also be hard to meet teachers because of the time constraints, Scott said.

“Sometimes it’s hard to schedule times with teachers who are only available after school,” Scott said.

Other frustrations include mechanical difficulties and bumpy rides.

“I remember this one time when the bus broke down in kind of the middle of nowhere and we had to wait for a new one to come,” Scott said. “It wasn’t fun at the time, but now I look back and laugh at it.”

In addition, Epke said the smaller kids on the bus do not respect their elders in any way when they’re together, so there’s too many of them on his bus.

However, there are also good things about riding the bus. For example, it saves some families money.

“Gas prices are awful, and I don’t mind being able to have silence,” Epke said.

In addition, riding the bus provides social opportunities, as well as opportunities for people to have fun.

“I get to sit and talk with my friends, and even though it’s bumpy, it can actually be really relaxing after school,” Scott said. “There will be days where the bus driver will go over bumps and all of us will go flying, some more than others.”

Epke said he would continue to ride while Piene said he wouldn’t continue to ride, if he had the choice.

Scott also wouldn’t continue to ride.

“If I had a car of my own or if my friends stopped riding, then I would probably stop riding,” Scott said.

18kweisenborn@usd489.com