Every morning, thousands of children in Bucharest wake up before dawn to get to school.
Some live in Rahova but study in the city center. Others leave Pipera and commute to high schools in Cotroceni or Unirii.
The 45–60-minute trip to class has become a quiet normality — a daily ritual in a city where childhood often happens between car horns and red lights.

But how much does traffic really affect school performance?
And what does it mean to study in a city where the time lost on the road is measured in months, not minutes?

Lost time becomes stolen time

A study by the World Bank and the European Investment Bank showed back in 2022 that Bucharest is the most congested city in the European Union, with an average traffic speed of only 12 km/h during rush hours.
In concrete terms, a student who spends one hour commuting to and from school every day loses over 200 hours per year in traffic —
the equivalent of an entire month of school spent sitting in a car.

Children arrive tired, sometimes hungry, often impatient. Teachers notice a drop in attention during the first classes, while parents — especially those who drive daily — feel the psychological exhaustion of routine.

Chronic fatigue and cognitive performance

According to research in educational psychology, long commuting times are linked to higher stress levels, sleep disorders, and reduced concentration.
A child who wakes up at 6:00 a.m. to be at school by 8:00 starts the day with an attention deficit equivalent to losing an hour of sleep.

Clinical psychologist Dr. Raluca Anton explains:

“Children who spend a lot of time commuting learn to function in a state of alertness, but not efficiency. Their brains are already tired before classes begin. This affects memory, motivation, and even their social relationships at school.”

The effects don’t show immediately, but they accumulate: lower grades, apathy, disengagement, and a growing disconnection from the idea of school itself.

Urban inequality: not all children can walk to school

In theory, a “healthy educational city” is one where children can walk to school in no more than 15 minutes.
In Bucharest, the reality is quite the opposite: parents chase “good schools” in other districts, and the enrollment system — based more on reputation than proximity — has created a daily internal migration across the city.

The result?

• Streets clogged between 7:00 and 9:00 a.m.
• Children falling asleep in cars
• Parents arriving late to work
• Growing educational segregation between neighborhoods

In the north and city center, schools and high schools have better infrastructure and better-paid teachers.
 In the south and west, students lose hours every day just getting to class.

Possible solutions: the city as an ally of education

To make traffic cease being an educational barrier, urban policies must align with the real needs of schools.
Experts in urbanism and mobility propose:

• Redesigning school catchment areas to encourage local enrollment;
• Safe walking and cycling routes to and from school;
• Dedicated school transport, as seen in other European capitals;
• Partial digitalization of schedules, especially during periods of extreme congestion.

A city that wants high-performing students must first allow them to arrive rested and ready to learn.

In conclusion

Education doesn’t begin in the classroom — it begins on the way there.
A child who spends an hour a day in traffic doesn’t just lose playtime; they also lose energy for learning.
Bucharest’s traffic is not only a mobility issue — it’s an issue of equity and the future.

If we want a generation that’s attentive, curious, and engaged, perhaps the first reform shouldn’t be in the curriculum — but in shortening the road to school.

Also recommended Young parents in Bucharest – life between work, daycare and traffic