Riding the bus is easy when you have someone to show you how. That was the purpose of a bus trip taken by a group of high school students and their teachers at the end of the school year.

The students were in Keri Lauxman’s writing and communications class from Lawrence High School. They planned their trip so they would take two buses– the Route 7 and the Route 9. The buses would take them from 6th & Wakarusa to Lawrence High School. Their goal? Teach their teachers and classmates how to ride the bus. On this day, some of the classmates were refreshing their skills, but for some classmates and teachers it was a first time bus riding experience.

James Harader, a student in the class, acted as teacher and tour guide that day. He was able to show the class some of the important aspects of riding the bus. A couple of the topics included understanding how to read a bus schedule and pulling the cord to let the driver know to stop at the next bus stop. James learned to ride the bus in his freshman year of high school when he took a career development class. Their teacher tested the students’ skills by sending the class on a scavenger hunt where the objective was to find the teacher by riding the bus.

For fellow senior Eric McIntyre, it was the first time he had ridden the bus. He will be attending Johnson County Community College in the fall, and will probably be using the bus to get there. He looks forward to riding the bus as a way to relax, study and get some sleep!

James Harader plans to stay in Lawrence and get a job after graduation. He would like to ride the bus, and possibly ride his bike to get around. The bus comes naturally for him, and he sees riding the bus as a positive experience. The students understand that there are many benefits to riding the bus which include saving money, helping the environment and helping people in the community get around.

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