Back in my day, the early to mid 90s, there were still pickups. There was a shorter line, it was easier, because there were fewer people.

Where I live now, and where I lived then, there was cutoffs for the bus, like a mile or more. My town now, barely anyone is a mile from anything. There’s one bus for the school, and they use it for underprivileged and disabled students. Everyone else is on their own, and so if you live a mile from school, having your four or five year old walk sometimes isn’t feasible.

We live about a mile from school. I drive halfway and park and we walk the other half, because I cannot stand the pickup line. But some people go, drop their kid, and head to work, and so it’s completely understandable that they use the pickup line.