Transport Options for Sending Kids to School

Are you a parent with school going children?
If yes, how do you send them to school? Barring some very lucky parents who live a stone throw away from the school their children attend, others find that making transportation arrangement quite a cumbersome process at the beginning of every school term. Here are a few tips on how to go about this.
 Look for professional transport services. In almost all residential areas, there are 'bus sekolah' or school van services that ferry children on a daily basis. Where to find these services? Just wait outside the school as kids are about to leave, and you can find scores of vans lined up waiting for the children. This is the time to approach the drivers and ask them for the service. Observe the cleanliness of the transport, the personality of the driver and the level of care exercised in getting the children on board the van and in getting them back home safely and timely. The best thing about professional transport services is that they are on duty everyday, and they can also extend their service for extra-curricular classes in the evenings/mornings.
 Second, talk to other parents and see if anyone can provide car pooling service. Some mothers drive their children to school everyday and do not mind sending your kids too. Although they may be willing to help out, remember two important things - you must insist on paying for the service, and secondly, expect your kids not to have transport for a few days in a year when the driver mum takes a few days off on special occasions or holidays.
 Thirdly, if the kids are old enough (form 1 and above), it is time to consider buying them a bicycle (with a safety helmet please) which they can use to cycle to and from school. Not many parents are comfortable doing this though, but if you are confident that your teenager can take care of himself/herself and the path to school is within the residential area (no busy main roads to cross), then this makes a good option. It's even better if another one or two kids join in so that there's company and more safety.
 Lastly, parents can drive the kids themselves, but then again, most parents are working and taking time off from work to drive the kids back home may not work for everyone.