Start a Walking Bus or Bike Bus
A Provo Walk & Roll to School resource for parent organizers
A walking bus or bike bus starts when one parent decides to help kids travel to school together. You do not need to create a formal program, find a large group, or solve every detail before you begin.
Walking buses are usually the simplest option. Kids follow the same route at a walking pace and set times, usually with one or more parents or other responsible adults. 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 require more equipment and planning for how the group will ride and which streets it will use.
Pro Tip: Start small & keep it sustainable
Your first group can be small. Five kids walking one morning each week is a real start. A schedule families can count on matters more than how often the bus runs. One day a week that continues is better than a daily plan that soon stops.
Seven steps to get started
1. Decide to be the initial parent organizer
Every bus needs someone willing to start. You do not have to do everything forever. Help the first families meet, choose a plan they can follow, and begin. Ask other parents to share the work as they join.
2. Find interested families
Start with neighbors, classmates, or families you already know. Ask whether they want to walk, bike, or scoot together on a regular day. A PTA or school may be willing to share your information or help nearby parents find one another.
You do not need a large group. Begin with the families who are ready.
3. Look at a possible route and meeting points
Mark where interested families live. Look for sidewalks, crossings, a school entrance the group can use, and places where kids can meet.
If your city, school, or district has identified a Safe Routes to School route or map, consider starting there. These routes may help you identify safe crossings and school-zone areas, but families should still look at current conditions and decide what works for their group.
Walk or ride the route at the time you plan to use it. Notice traffic, visibility, crossing needs, construction, and where the group can safely gather without blocking sidewalks or driveways.
BikeWalk Provo volunteers will give practical guidance when you ask, including helping you think through possible routes and answering questions.
4. Choose days and times you can keep
The bus can run every day, but it does not have to. You might start with one or two mornings each week or with the same day every week.
Choose days and times families can remember and keep. You can add more days later if more adults join and the group wants to meet more often.
5. Decide how adults will participate
We strongly encourage at least one parent or other responsible adult to travel with the group. A group may need more adult help depending on the kids’ ages, the route, traffic, and the number of kids.
Talk openly about who will go with the group, how adults will share the work, and what happens when an adult cannot come. Each family decides what is right for its own kids.
6. Share the basic plan
Give families a short, clear plan:
- Whether the group will walk, bike, or scoot.
- Days and start time.
- Starting point and any meeting points.
- Expected arrival time.
- How adults will participate.
- How the parent organizer will send changes and updates.
- What each family should plan for the trip home.
Start with this basic information. Add more detail later only when the group needs it.
7. Start, learn, and adjust
Choose a first day and make the trip. Afterward, ask what worked and what the group should change. Starting with a simple plan helps you learn what families need.
Ready to take the first step?
Write down the school, the part of town, whether the group will walk, bike, or scoot, and the days and times you are considering. Then Contact BikeWalk Provo. BikeWalk Provo volunteers will talk with you one-on-one and help you work through the first steps. You do not need a final route, schedule, or complete group before you reach out.