How to Start a Bike Bus

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Find Your Why

Why do you want to start a Bike Bus? There are two reasons why you ask this question: First, it helps you focus on the problem you are trying to solve; Second, it helps to remember if things get frustrating or it’s the middle of winter and the weather isn’t as pleasant.

Sam’s “why” has changed depending on at what the school he’s worked. At Sam’s previous school, his “why” was to build a strong community by revitalizing a “walking school bus” program that had previously existed Sam wanted to provide children with more opportunities for physical activity and to support students who didn’t qualify for the bus and didn’t have someone who could take them to school. At Sam’s current school, his “why” to start a Bike Bus was to reduce the number of cars at school drop-off, which had significantly increased during the pandemic due to canceled bus routes.

Build Your Team

Once you know your “why,” find an ally (or co-organizer). This work is much easier and more enjoyable with a team, so find someone who shares your interest in starting a Bike Bus who may already ride to school or want to ride to school. Sam found co-organizers by hanging out by the bike rack before and after school, and talking to parents who were biking with their children. He shared the idea of a Bike Bus and asked if the other parents wanted to help. When you find someone who’s interested, exchange phone numbers and email addresses, so you can stay in touch and coordinate. Finding one or two co-organizers will make starting (and growing!) your Bike Bus easier and more fun, but isn’t necessary — you can organize a Bike Bus by yourself!

Create Your Route

First, figure out generally where children and families are coming from. This might be a school “catchment zone,” like Sam’s school has for its students and families, or it may be throughout your city/community. It can be helpful to think about and ask where children and families who already bike to school come from. It may be helpful to map addresses or general areas on a mapping tool, like Felt or Google My Maps.

Next, think about what street(s) would be good for your Bike Bus route. Generally, Bike Bus organizers find residential streets with a relatively low volume of car traffic to be best, because they increase comfort for children and families riding and provide a wider area to bike (which is especially nice for children who want to bike next to each other). In Sam’s case, Portland’s “neighborhood greenways” were a great option for the Bike Bus, in part because they have traffic diverters, speed bumps, and lower speed limits.

When selecting a street (or streets) and creating a route, keep in mind where people live and how far the Bike Bus route will be. Most Bike Bus routes are 0.5 to 3 miles long, though there’s nothing stopping you from going farther than that. Generally, having the route within four blocks of people’s homes makes it easier for people to join, though families that live farther from the route can create a “micro Bike Bus” to bike together to the main Bike Bus route, as some families did with Sam’s Bike Bus in Portland.

Once you have your route figured out, approximate how long it will take to get to school from the starting point — we find most Bike Buses go 5–8 mph and it’s generally good to meet 5–10 minutes before the group starts to ride — then subject that time from the time your group will want to get to school (i.e. 5–10 minutes before school starts). Now, you have the start time and route for your Bike Bus!

It’s best to start small and create your Bike Bus route simple, so you can get started, organize children and families who want to join, and establish a routine. Once you get started and have a regular Bike Bus — we recommend once per week — you can think about expanding the route or adding multiple meeting locations to grow your Bike Bus and increase your impact.