All Aboard the Bike Bus on Bike to School Day
- Bike buses are caravans of parents, teachers, and kids who ride rather than drive to school.
- Cascade is partnering with Seattle Public Schools to encourage more PTAs and educators to create bike buses this spring.
- May 7 is Bike to School Day–the perfect time to hop on a bike bus.
Paul Tolmé
Seattle’s Dunlap Elementary is among the growing number of schools offering so-called bike buses as a healthy and smart alternative to driving to school.
“It’s so joyful,” says Alex Wakeman Rouse, a Dunlap Elementary School parent and PTA member. “We meet at a park on Wednesday mornings and bike together down a quiet street to school. It’s a great start to the day."
Bike buses are caravans of students, parents, and neighbors who ride to school together, rolling slowly in a group, ensuring that everyone arrives safely while teaching kids about the freedom of biking to destinations.
May 7 is National Bike to School Day, and May is Bike Everywhere Month presented by Amazon, Microsoft & Lime. It’s the perfect opportunity to start or join a bike bus or bike to school.
“Bike buses are a fun, meaningful, actionable way to connect with neighbors,” says Brooke Nelson, Seattle Safe Routes to School coordinator.
A former Major Taylor Project ride leader for Cascade, Nelson urges PTA members and educators to apply for a FREE bike bus starter kit with helmets, bells, and lights from the Seattle Department of Transportation.
Smiles and Laughter the Whole Time
In addition to Dunlap Elementary, 12 other Seattle schools are planning bike buses or Bike to School Day events: Viewlands Elementary, South Shore Elementary, Eckstein Middle School, Green Lake Elementary, Chief Sealth High, Concord International Elementary, Genesee Hill Elementary, Hawthorne Elementary, Lafayette Elementary, Queen Anne Elementary, Stevens Elementary, and West Woodland Elementary.
There are also bike to school events planned at two Bellevue schools (Phantom Lake Elementary and Spiritridge Elementary), in Port Townsend at Salish Coast Elementary, and in Vancouver at Roosevelt Elementary. These are among more than 1,100 events planned nationwide, according to the national Walk Bike & Roll to School tracker.
“By biking to school instead of driving you can avoid the crowded pickup and drop-off zone, reduce traffic and air pollution, and have a fun time as well,” Nelson says.
Dunlap Elementary School’s bike bus departs every Wednesday through the spring and fall terms, pausing for winter when it’s dark and rainy.
Dunlap parent Woody Sobey says the bike bus is a big hit with his daughter. “Bike Bus Day is the easiest day to get her to school,” he says. “It’s smiles and laughter the whole time.”
Bike Everywhere Month presented by Amazon, Microsoft & Lime
Learn more about bike buses (also called bike trains) and other bike-to-school opportunities on Cascade’s Biking to School page.
Want to start a bike bus in Seattle? Email Nelson from here to learn more and get a FREE starter kit.
Not a parent? There are many opportunities to ride with us during Bike Everywhere Month presented by Amazon, Microsoft & Lime.
- Pedal to a Celebration Station on May 14, Bike Everywhere Day.
- Join the Bike Everywhere Day Bash at Town Hall Seattle, where we will have a conversation about "Building a Bikeable Seattle."
- Pierce County has a Bike Everywhere Challenge for the entire month of May.
All aboard the bike bus!
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