Walking School Bus

Starting a Walking School Bus

A Walking School Bus is a group of children (passengers) and adults (drivers and conductors) who walk to and from school along a designated, safe route. The "bus" picks up students in the morning and drops them off, in the reverse order, in the afternoon.

The program can be developed to fit the needs of the participants; as informal as two families taking turns walking their children to school or as formal as a route with designated stops, a timetable, and a regularly rotated schedule of parents/volunteers. As well, the "bus" can go as seldom or as often as the parents want to "drive" it and the chidren want to "ride it".

Benefits of a Walking School Bus

Exercise and health benefits - increase in the amount of physical activity for children during the day; provides convenient way to get exercise and improve health, decreases risk of obesity, osteoporosis, depression and diabetes; builds positive self-image.

Safety - children will be part of a large, visible, supervised group when walking to school; decreases the amount of traffic around school.

Road sense - children learn pedestrian skills and will be better equipped to deal with traffic when on their own.

Socializing - children have the chance to talk and make new friends, fostering a sense of community and self-confidence.

Environmental - reduces the amount of traffic around schools; reduces air pollution and improves air quality; decreases overdependence on vehicles.

Easy breathing - the fresh air will "wake children up" and help them focus on schoolwork in the morning, improving concentration and learning.

Building Sense of Community - parents have a chance to socialize with other parents in their neighbourhoods; increases community awareness and involvement.

Economic - decreases costs associated with vehicle use.

The Saskatchewan Prevention Institute has developed a guide to starting a Walking School Bus in your community. Click here for more details.