Every Friday morning, we wait on the street corner with the first graders for the bus to arrive. However, instead of a big yellow school bus, it was a group of parents and children riding bicycles. This is our neighborhood “bicycle bus.” We hop on our bikes, meet up, and head off to our next “stop.” We continued towards the elementary school and more riders joined us along the way. Depending on the week, dozens of people may attend. Sometimes it’s just a handful. No matter the size of your group, every ride on the bike bus feels like a party.
I wanted to join the bicycle bus from January 2025. video Located in Portland, Oregon, it went viral thanks to a guest appearance by Justin Timberlake. I saw JT riding his bike and dancing with hundreds of other kids, all so excited to go to school together, and I thought to myself, I want to enter. That fall, a flyer arrived at our house in my daughter’s backpack announcing that we were building a bicycle bus in our neighborhood, so needless to say we jumped. We researched the route, found our stops, and made plans to arrive early.
On the morning of our first ride, we parked in a corner and waited, the whole family wearing helmets and looking dizzy. My daughter had one foot on the sidewalk and the other on the pedal, looking over her shoulder for her friends and chatting with them. My toddler son was strapped into a bike trailer along with a stuffed giraffe. We heard the bike bus coming before we saw it. There was the sound of jingling bells and K-Pop music playing from Bluetooth speakers. Then it emerged up the hill, bike lights flashing and the entire group illuminated by the neon glow of reflective safety vests.
My daughter grinned and jumped off the curb, wanting to join the fray. My son was confused. “Where’s the bus?” he asked. “Buddy,” I answered.we It’s a bus! ”
The bicycle bus movement started in the 1990s. It became popular in America A few years ago, thanks Sam Baltonow famous physical education teacher portland bike bus. The concept is simple. Adults volunteer to ride bicycles with children to make the journey to school safer and more enjoyable. Sam is co-founder bike bus world With New Jersey organizer Jessica Tillyer. We asked Jessica why she decided to start a bicycle bus business. her neighborhood. “I felt lonely riding my bike to school,” she told me. “It’s a little scary because we don’t have the bike infrastructure in place.” Now, on days when the bike bus is fully stocked, up to 400 students gather. “It changed our town.”
bike bus world Provides guidance and resources for those who want to start their own community bike bus. They suggest having a child-friendly title and clearly defining the role of the adult rider. What there is is “Corker” (a person who stops the flow of traffic through an intersection), and a “caboose” (no explanation needed).
There are currently about 450 bicycle buses across the country, and hundreds more around the world. It quickly caught on, not only because it helps children develop the skills and confidence to cycle safely to school, but because it is inherently community-building. Additionally, the issue of bicycle infrastructure has started to attract attention. (Last month, Mayor Zoran Mamdani Participated in the bike bus Plans for a new bicycle boulevard in Brooklyn have been announced. Check it out: adorable photos below!) And — did I mention it? — it’s a lot of fun.
As for our little bike bus, we just celebrated our last ride of the school year after dozens of fun rides to school, rain or shine. We held events such as singing songs at traffic lights and decorating bicycles with flags and reflective safety stickers for bicycle buses’ birthdays. One morning, the bike bus leader showed up with a bubble machine attached to the back of his cargo bike, and we pedaled to school through a cloud of bubbles.
On my last ride to school, my neighbors waved at me from their front yards. “Have a great summer!” they called. And while we’re all excited about this season, we’re already looking forward to fall and all the surprises next year’s bike buses will bring.
Is there a bike bus in your area? A Cup of Jo reader named Lily asked: baltimore bike bus This year too.
PS How cycling with my kids and learning to mountain bike helped me in my early days of motherhood.
(Bergen Bicycle Bus photo courtesy of the Mayor’s Office. Alameda Bicycle Bus photo by David Benheim/Ready Go Pictures. Bellingham Bicycle Bus photo by Brian Russell and Caitlin Teare.)
Source: Cup of Jo – cupofjo.com
