Linda Reimond has taken hundreds—maybe even thousands—of children on the bus over the years. As director of the Lawrence Arts Center preschool, she incorporates riding the bus as part of a field trip at least once a year.

“For many children, it’s their first time on the bus,” Reimond said. “My class went yesterday afternoon, and the kids were so excited when the bus started up, they just squealed.”

Children who attend the Lawrence Arts Center preschool have been riding the bus as long as the transit system has been operating. They have traveled to Prairie Park Nature Center, the Natural History Museum, Spencer Art Museum, Lawrence Hidden Valley Camp, and to fire stations for tours.

Reimond uses the regular fixed route service and plans field trips according to the bus schedule. Sometimes they don’t have a particular destination in mind, other than the bus itself.

“There have been times when we have just caught a bus and ridden the loop,” Reimond said. “In the middle of the winter if it’s a nice day, we just catch the bus.”

Aside from the practical aspect of transporting 20 kids to a destination, riding the bus gives students an opportunity to think about alternate methods of transportation.

“I was talking with the children about how in the big cities a lot of people don’t have cars,” Reimond said. “So we talked about how else they could get places. We talked about the bus, and somebody mentioned the subway. And then we talked about taxis and airplanes and things like that.”

So, what do a bunch of preschoolers do while they’re waiting at the bus stop? Sing The Wheels on the Bus Go Round and Round, of course.

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