[washywashy]

Yeah I don’t really understand this. I would ride bus to and from school. Stay after school for activities and find a ride back with friends or siblings or some other way without my parents needing to get involved. Anecdotal but whenever I see school buses now, they mostly seem empty and whenever you pass a school there’s a huge drop off or pick up line.

[r00fus]

There's a ton of reasons, but mostly - kids don't have autonomy any more. Both due to hyperactive child protective services government oversight (ill-used I may add) and lots more sprawl/roads/cars and longer distances between activities, it's became untenable to let kids roam.

I also remember doing all sorts of stuff by myself and getting bussed around as needed (school/camp/afterschool) - my parents at first didn't even have a car out of college.

Curious - now that everyone has to drive everywhere for their kids - Auto/Petroluem industries thrive with that.

[grandfield]

First 6 years I walked to school. Most of my friends either did that or took a bicycle. Next 6 years I took a street car. To/from school as well as afternoon activities.

This was in the 90s in Europe. Where I live now (still in Europe), all my friends have their kids to the same thing.

There is the occasional parent who shuttles the kid to/from school. They either live in some inaccessible place in the countryside or they are weird (or both). The kids that need shuttling by their parents actually have a social disadvantage since they don't get to spontaneously hangout with their friends and do stuff. Everything needs to be coordinated and scheduled and approved with/by their parents. Poor kids.

[Brystephor]

I mean, parents were still chauffeuring kids around. You even say you got rides back with friends, presumably meaning their parents.