Have you heard about the ‘bike bus’ movement? The idea has been around informally for years - in fact you probably participated in it without even knowing if as a child you were lucky enough to live in a neighborhood where you and your friends could ride your bikes to school. Today's version includes adults to led the groups of school-going bike riders along a route with predetermined stops and schedules.
In 2021, a bike bus in Barcelona went viral but Sam Balto, a physical education teacher, started earlier by establishing a bike bus in Boston in 2016 and then two years later began in Portland Oregon in 2018. As reported by Inside Climate News, Balto organized a Bike Bus for Earth Day in Portland which attracted hundreds of riders and got a massive amount of social media attention. Since then the movement has grown not only in Oregon but elsewhere in the US and around the world. City Lab Barcelona noted that there were at a minimum 470 bike bus routes globally in 2024.
Not only is the bike bus good for the climate but a recent study has associated ‘active commuting to school’ with children being better prepared to learn and having higher levels of engagement.
Interested in a bike bus in your community? Bike Bus World has plenty of helpful information and resources that can assist you in getting started.