How to Start a Bike Bus

Learn How to Start a Bike Bus to Your School!
“School Buses Run on Gas, Bike Buses Run on Joy”, Sam Balto- Bike Bus World 

A fair-skinned adult man wearing a bright safety vest waves while riding a bicylce. Behind him are children and parents riding bikes on a city street.

Get on the Bike Bus with these tips!

Bike Buses reimagine how we get kids to school, replacing pollution and congestion with fun and activity. You, yes you!, can help to make them happen by encouraging parents and students in your community to ride or walk to school together. Kids will arrive at school safe and ready to learn because the Bike Bus makes getting to school a celebration! Read on for our tips on how to start one up at your school!

  • Finding your Why
    • Differs from school community to school community for example:
      • Build community
      • Replace the school bus
      • Reduce drop-off line congestion and pollution
      • Encourages more physical activity in the school day
      • Gives students more options to get to school 
In the foreground are two smiling black children wearing bike helmets and riding bicycles. Behind them are other children riding bikes as well as some adults biking and walking.
Bike and walking buses are fun and that’s reason enough!
  • Finding other leaders and volunteers
    • Build your team- find other parents or school staff members who might be interested in biking or walking to school. If kids at your school are biking, try to connect with their parents. 
    • Decide how to communicate with other parents and volunteers
      • Use text chains or group messaging apps such as WhatsApp, Messenger, Slack, Discord, Signal, etc. 
      • Make a plan for cancellations due to weather and make sure to communicate any route or schedule changes over 24 hours in advance. 
From left to right: a fair-skinned woman with curly hair is smiling, another fair-skinned woman with long brown hair and glasses smiles while holding a bike helmet. Next to her, a tall fair-skinned man with a bike helmet and glasses smiles, next to him another man with a backwards baseball cap and tie-dyed shirt smiles, to their right a dark-skinned woman with curly hair pulled back smiles. They are all standing in front of a bike rack filled with kids bikes.
Adult leaders help keep the bus together and running on schedule
  • Find your route
    • Identify where students biking and walking are coming from
    • Look for a public park or intersection that could serve as a meeting place
    • Identify streets that feature bike infrastructure or traffic calming- you can use the PGH Bike Map for help
    • Length of the route should be between .5 and 3 miles 
    • Use software such as google my maps, RideWithGPS, or plotaroute.com to map out your route You can also create images of your map and cue sheets to share with your team
    • Before finalizing, test ride your route during school arrival and departure times
    • Timing: estimate the time it takes to bike the route at 5-8 mph then add 10 minutes before the ride and 10 minutes after and subtract that from the school starting time.
      • For example:Bike Bus Route is 1 mile at 5 mph = 12 minutes. 12 minutes plus 10 minutes before and 10 minutes after = 32 minutes. School starts at 8:00 am. 8:00 am – 32 minutes = 7:28 am. 
  • Bus best practices
    • Have an adult leader for every 8 children at minimum
    • Meet with other leaders to train best practices like following the laws of the road and knowing everyone’s roles. One thing to determine with your leaders is when to cork or split at an intersection. Some roles:
      • Leaders: stay at the front of the group, set the pace, and set an example
      • Intersectors: help the ride to get through intersections (AKA corking and splitting)
      • Caboose (AKA) back line: stay at the back and make sure that no one is dropped and help any riders who are struggling to keep up or having mechanical issues
      • Mechanic– identify some leaders who have tools and experience with bike maintenance to safety check bikes pre-ride and provide mid-ride repairs. These folks should be towards the back 
  • Engaging with school administration
    • Determine when and how to reach out to school administration. Are you asking for permission or simply notifying them of your plans?
    • Determine whether you will need pre-registration or permission slips 
  • Supplies and preparations
    • Make sure everyone has a functioning bike and helmet
    • Lights are recommended
    • Adult leaders should have safety vests
    • Speakers are a bonus, and a great way to make sure the Bike Bus is conspicuous and fun!
  • Bike Parking 
    • Think through bike parking concerns at school:
      • Is there a bike rack and do students have locks?
      • Is there secure inside storage?
      • Have a contingency plan if students don’t have locks or there isn’t sufficient parking space
A green bike rack designed to look like the stems of flowers has bikes parked on it. The blossoms of the flowers spell out the word"peace."
Consider advocating for a bike rack at your school to support its bike commuters
  • Liability concerns
    • Determine whether to require waivers, permission slips, or preregistration
    • Determine whether to involve school administration in this process 
  • Promoting the Bike Bus
    • Determine the best way to promote the bike bus to other families and students.
      • School newsletter
      • School or PTA social media 
      • Paper flyers, stickers, t-shirts, or other swag 
  • Setting the schedule 
    • Decide how often to have the bike bus run
      • For example weekly during the warmer months
      • A regular schedule is key to having participation

Contact Us!

Are you bike bus curious but don’t know where to start? We can help you make connections within the school and bike community, consult on your route, and help you find resources for success. Contact us at education@bikepgh.org to find out the next step for your bike or walking bus!