A Walking School Bus is a group of children walking to school with adult supervision. It's very simple and that’s part of its beauty. It can be as informal as two families taking turns walking their children to school or as structured as a route with meeting points, a timetable and a regularly rotated schedule of volunteers.

Typically it comprises two volunteer parents, one to “drive” and one to “conduct” a group of school children. They then follow a set route to school, collecting pupils at “bus stops” along the way. The flexibility of the walking school bus makes it appealing to communities of all sizes with varying needs. Safety concerns are often the primary reason that parents are reluctant to allow their children to walk to school. Providing adult supervision may help reduce those worries for families who live within walking distance to school.

Reasons to do it

Studies show that fewer children are walking and cycling to school and more children are at risk of becoming overweight. Changing behaviours of children and parents require creative solutions that are safe and fun and implementing a walking school bus can be both!