Provo Walk & Roll to School
An overview for city, school district, and school leaders
A better way for kids to get to school
Provo Walk & Roll to School helps elementary-school families organize parent-led walking buses and bike buses. Kids follow the same route at set times, giving them a chance to be active, gain confidence, and spend time with neighbors on the way to school.
Walking buses are the easiest place to begin. Families do not need special equipment, kids travel at a walking pace, and many neighborhoods near a school can support one. Kids may bring scooters as long as they keep a walking pace and stay with the group.
Bike buses are group rides for bicycles and, when the parent organizer's plan fits, scooters. They are an established and exciting option for families who have the needed equipment and are ready to do more planning.
Whether a group goes every day, once a week, or somewhere in between, the most important thing is a schedule families can count on.
Parent-led bike buses have operated at Sunset View Elementary, Timpanogos Elementary, and Rock Canyon Elementary in Provo, and at Cascade Elementary in Orem.
Why walk or bike together?
A walking bus or bike bus can:
- Give kids an active start so they arrive energized and ready to learn.
- Help kids build confidence and independence while traveling with a group.
- Help families spend less time in school pickup and drop-off lines and less money on short car trips.
- Help neighbors and school families get to know one another.
- Help make school pickup and drop-off safer and more efficient by reducing the number of cars.
- Reduce car traffic and air pollution during busy school and work commute times.
The goal is not to create a complicated new program. It is to help interested families travel together on days and times they can count on.
Parents make it happen
Every bus begins with a parent or family who is willing to start. The parent organizer chooses days and times, finds interested families, makes a plan with the adults who will help, and works with the group to choose a route and meeting points. More parents can share the work as they join.
PTAs and schools can connect families and share information without running the bus. City and district leaders can tell more people about the idea and celebrate successful groups. Parent organizers can contact BikeWalk Provo when they want help getting started.
How BikeWalk Provo volunteers participate
BikeWalk Provo volunteers will help interested parents work through the first steps, with support tailored to their needs, such as route guidance, a custom map, materials, signs, or help reaching more families.
Parent organizers can Contact BikeWalk Provo when they want help getting started. The form asks for a contact method, school, where they are in the process, and how a volunteer can help. A BikeWalk Provo volunteer will follow up within a day or two.
BikeWalk Provo volunteers do not run or supervise buses, approve or certify routes, or promise that families will join. Parents continue to lead each group and choose what works for them.
Take the next step
Ready to organize a walking bus or bike bus? Open the parent organizer guide for practical steps to find families, choose a route and schedule, share the work, and begin.