Guest Post from Hemina Haque, Subway Spokesperson
I can’t remember how many times my Mum or Dad would turn around and say: ‘I’m not a taxi service!’ after I had asked for a lift somewhere when I was growing up. Whether it was a trip to see friends or to after school activities I could always rely on them to get me from A to B and whilst I might have taken it for granted when I was younger the shoe is now firmly on the other foot!
My kids are always asking me to drive them here, there and everywhere. Tennis, dancing lessons, football, scouts – you name it; we’ve driven there. However, I’m certainly not alone. In fact, a survey we commissioned at sandwich brand Subway recently discovered that 70% of parents feel like a taxi service to their children.
With the school holidays nearly here parents admitted they spend at least 30 minutes every day taking their kids to after school clubs, with mums and dads covering over 22 miles each week to an average of five activities.
The survey of parents in the South & South East also found:
- 15% of parents admit that they drive their children around every day of the week
- A third of parents said they never get a day off from driving kids around
- Nearly one in ten parents drive over 51 miles a week, a huge 2,652 miles a year just to after school activities
In the battle of the counties, parents in Berkshire drive to the most afterschool activities each week, an average of six, with 10% making up to 12 trips weekly. Mums and dads on the Isle of Wight make the smallest number of trips to after school activities, averaging four a week. However, a huge 73% said that they help out friends or relatives by taking their children to activities. Parents in Surrey drive the furthest, an average of 95 miles a month to after school activities, whilst in Kent parents will go furthest afield in a single trip, on average over 12 miles from home.
Ferrying the little ones around is simply part and parcel of being a parent but sometimes it can also mean you are on the road for longer than you think. Our survey found an astonishing 46% of parents provide children with food to eat on journeys but do not eat anything themselves. Over half (51%) admitted to missing dinner completely because of taking and picking up their children from after school and weekend activities, something I am sure we have all done once in a while!
It’s obvious that busy, hard-working and dedicated parents just don’t stop when it comes to taking their kids to after school activities, and it can be tough to make sure that everyone has the fuel they need on-the-go. At Subway we offer parents and kids a nutritious, convenient and great value option with something for everyone to keep the whole family happy.
For more information and for store locators visit the Subway website at http://www.subway.com/en-gb/.
One Poll survey of 2000 parents with children between 4- 16 years old in the South and South East UK.