Students in North Plainfield High School’s Special Education classes learned how to navigate the County’s public transportation network by participating in travel training conducted by RideWise. Linda Rapacki, Director of Mobility Management for RideWise, worked with special education teacher, John Burke, on an in-class session followed by a field trip one week later.
The on-bus field trip taught students the route they would take, how to identify the Somerset County public bus from the NJ TRANSIT bus how to pay the fare, how to identify where to exit the bus, and other travel guidelines. Once in Somerville, students enjoyed a meal together at The Phoenix Café.
After spending a couple of hours exploring downtown Somerville in small groups, all students successfully met at the corner of Main Street and Division Street to board the NJ TRANSIT 114 bus for the return trip. On the return, the students learned how to know when and where to be at the bus stop before the bus departed.
Travel Training not only teaches students how to navigate public transportation, but also teaches valuable life skills such as critical thinking, problem solving, and independence. “Watching these young adults learn and connect with the public transportation network is a joy to watch and makes me hopeful for their future self-travel options,” Linda said.
The program was so successful, plans are already underway to conduct a second session in the winter. “I look forward to working with Linda and RideWise in December!” John said.
For further information on Travel Training Instruction in Somerset County, please contact Linda at linda@ridewise.org.
