Unaccompanied minors

[broadgage]

Rather than hope for an unofficial upgrade to first class, might buying a first class child ticket be an option ?

A more controlled environment with more staff, and the person providing at seat service should realise if anything was amiss.

And give the child a clearly printed set of emergency instructions on what to do if anything goes wrong.

 

[hounddog]

From age 11 I travelled by Underground from Southgate to school in central London (near Chancery lane), and twice a week to Grove Park (S.E London) on the Southern Region. Before that I'd now and again gone by myself to central London. But I'd never done a solo long-distance main line journey.

Totally off topic but it seems we went to the same school from the same starting point, albeit 20-odd years apart. Small world! I travelled home from Farringdon and Aldwych on occasions but never thought of using Chancery Lane. Seems obvious in hindsight.

From the age of around 13 I was travelling to the occasional cricket match at Canterbury on my own but nothing longer distance than that.

 

[Flamingo]

Rather than hope for an unofficial upgrade to first class, might buying a first class child ticket be an option ?

A more controlled environment with more staff, and the person providing at seat service should realise if anything was amiss.

And give the child a clearly printed set of emergency instructions on what to do if anything goes wrong.

Probably a better move.

 

[ainsworth74]

Still thinking that flying is going to be the better choice overall. Taking the train all the way from Aberdeen to London might be an adventure worth investigating once they're a little older.

 

[Haywain]

However, we are not In Loco Parentis, and as individuals and an industry we do not take responsibility for them any more than we do for any other passenger. We don't, for example, offer a service to take them to or from the train if the adult is late arriving at a station, or ensure they don't miss their stop. I have known of cases where unattended children were handed over to BTP if there was concerns...

Aside from this, the idea of asking the staff to take responsibility is grossly unfair on them if they feel unable to do so. And if they say no, then what?

 

[theageofthetra]

I travelled by train and bus to school in Tunbridge Wells from Sevenoaks aged 11, though given some of the shenanigans that went on it may have been better that we were chaperoned!

 

[mike57]

I used to travel between London and Harrogate on my own, Mum would put me on the train at Kings X and my Aunt would meet me on the platform at Harrogate. I think I was 10 or 11. I was always booked into 1st class when I was on my own, with a reserved seat, and was served lunch on the way. I didnt really think anything about it, if I wanted to spend my school holidays in Yorkshire this was the only way as my Mum worked and would join me for the last two weeks in the summer. This was 50 years ago though.

I think it also depends on maturity of the child, some 12yos would be fine others would be right out of their depth. I think if I was sending a child on this journey I would book a seat, in first class, and deliver the child to the carriage and make sure they were met on the platform at the far end.

A mobile phone and charger, programmed with contact numbers is a must. It would also help if they had done the journey before with an adult. Also use a daytime train.

 

[PeterC]

Like a lot of kids of my generation I travelled to school on two buses or bus and train without any help from age 11.

At 12 I travelled from Paddington to Newport alone to stay with my cousin and by 13 was taking Red Rover tickets around London on a regular basis as a bus spotter.