Grades 3–5 · Societies
How do two bus routes join into one journey?
A bus route connects a sequence of stops, but one route may not reach every destination. Two routes can share a hub where a person changes buses. Joining the routes makes more places reachable without needing a separate direct route between every pair of places.
In the diagramTwo bus routes connect through a shared hubRoute ARoute BLibraryHubMuseumA arrives at the hub: 08:003-minute move → ready at 08:03B departs at 08:07, then 08:17Wait 4 min; reach museum at 08:19Invented schedule; no real route or guaranteed hold.
A connection needs time as well as a shared place. In the fictional map, Route A reaches the hub at eight o’clock. Moving to Route B’s stop takes three minutes, so the rider is ready at 8:03. Route B leaves at 8:07, giving a four-minute wait. Its twelve-minute ride reaches the museum at 8:19.
A later arrival on the first bus can leave too little time for the intended connection. The next departure then adds waiting time, even though the hub still joins the same places. Stops within a hub may also be some distance apart, so the space between them matters. These are invented times with no promise that an onward bus waits; actual services have their own schedules and conditions.
About this explanation
Starting knowledge: Understand a clock, minutes, a route map and adding or subtracting short intervals.
Sources
- TriMet — Ways to Plan a Trip on TriMet
- TransLink — Transit Maps: Bus Exchange Maps