Children on Buses

I continue to be surprised by things here in Finland.

There are little children riding buses here. Without adults with them. These kids are at most eight years old!

They go on buses all the way from the Finnish equivalent of suburbs to the Helsinki centre.

Finns are perfectly comfortable letting their kids on public buses.

But would a Canadian? Sure I have seen 12 year olds and up, but generally anyone younger has always, always had an adult or an older kid with them.

My relatives constantly warn me of the dangers of Helsinki and riding on the bus. But it is almost laughable when you think that they let their 7 year old ride the bus alone and walk 40minutes home from school by themselves.

Of course when they are warning me it generally has to do with me being out late and Finnish drunkeness or scary foreigners.

But really, would a parent from the USA or Canada be comfortable letting their kids ride the public bus at such a young age? To walk such far distances?

Really, it really makes you pause.