Pretty sure Otto Mann doesn’t know if you’re child is supposed to go to school today or not (scheduled absence), so the driver can’t know to expect your child or not
For what it's worth, this is a uniquely American problem; schoolchildren in Europe and Asia have no problems taking public transit while being single-digit age.
Of course, those places haven't bowed to irrational paranoia like North American countries do, but the fact remains that the assumption that children aren't capable of getting to a bus stop safely is a falsehood that fortunately only North American societies have chosen to embrace.
It's stupid, but taking that on requires people to stop listening to a certain loud minority, so it's hard to break, though some states (like Utah) have made legal inroads against them.
Your comment got it right, there is a weird paranoia in the US. Typical American parents never allow their children to do anything by themselves anymore. When I was a kid, I used to play for hours in the street from my neighborhood, sometimes climbing on trees in the wood nearby. My parents had no idea where I was or what I was doing and that was fine. I cannot even imagine what American parents would think if this happened in the US nowadays. Social services would probably be called upon my parents.
I'm convinced that having micromanaging parent is not sane for a kid's mental development.
Afternoon drop off was 1/2 mile away. A few of us walked it each day, unless weather was terrible.
Those walks home were amazing. Great times I remember fondly.
This was West Coast Rural USA, starting during late 70's.
Play, explore experiences were similar.
So I don't know which Asia you are talking about.
I grew up in a west Asian country and walked to school every days from age 6 to 18. I didn't get on public transit on my own till probably my teens either because I didn't need to!
Everywhere I needed to get to was within walking distance. I sometimes walked for an hour to get to my sister's place on the other side of town but my schools were first 5 minutes walk and then 15 minutes walk away from where my parents lived.