How can we safely transport kids to school while reducing pollution, promoting exercise, boosting confidence, and building strong community bonds? In Glasgow, Scotland, children ride to school together in a bike bus or bike train, a group of young commuters guided by cycling parents and teachers.
What makes it like a bus or a train? The group picks up riders at designated stops and times along a set route. This People Fixing the World video from the BBC World Service shares their morning journey through Glasgow.
The idea of a bike bus is attributed to a 2020 bicibΓΊs started by two teachers in the Spanish city of Vic. As more people saw photos and videos about the bicibΓΊs movement in nearby Barcelona, interest spread. Now there are bike buses, small and large, in cities around the world.
“But only in Glasgow, do they have a special gadget which lets them control the traffic lights.”
This NBC News report visits a massive bike bus in Portland, Oregon. From one grown-up leading the ride:
“We often underestimate how much children enjoy being social. Rain or shine, they are motivated to see their buddies.”
Want to get this idea started in your neighborhood?
π² Edutopia: How to Set Up a Bike Bus at Your School.
π² Wired: “I Started a Bike Bus, and You Can Too.”
π² WalkBiketoSchool.org: Bicycling to School Together: A bike train planning guide (.pdf)
Watch this next: What is public life?
Bonus: Bicycle rush hour in Utrecht, the Netherlandsβ fourth largest city.
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