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- Keep it fresh: Ask for feedback from participants and be creative with new ways to keep them interested or address a challenge. For instance, if students are all trying to be the first in line (this is quite common, especially with boys!), try with nominating a different young leader every week.
- Reward student riders: Think about ways to periodically celebrate and reward student riders. For instance, you could work with the school to assign faction cards to students who ride regularly.
- Foster a supportive bike culture: A strong bike culture within the school and the community is important for a successful bike bus. Look out for initiatives such as Ride to School Day (March) or WA Bike Month (October). Try to involve a local bike shop for maintenance sessions (they will be repaid by exposure).
- Check how it’s going: Regularly assess how well the bike bus is functioning. You can simply ask students and parents if there’s anything that could be done different, or in a more fun/engaging way. You could change day or add another one, or even considering adding an extra route, if you find enough engaged parents.
- Involve your school: Typically, schools can offer a limited support due to insurance and liability issues, so a bike bus will always need to be a parents-driven initiative. That being said, it is recommended to talk to your school, letting them know what you are organising. Here are a few ideas:
- Ask if there is a YourMove representative at your school. If not, ask them to nominate one (or you could volunteer for the role). YourMove assigns points for active transportation initiatives around schools – you can redeem these points to upgrade your school (e.g. bike racks).
- Ask to publish some information about the Bike Bus on the school’s website: how it works, a map with the route and approximate times, instructions on how to join.
- Ask to organise some bike training for students who ride on the Bike Bus. Schools usually offer bike training for Year 6 students, but you could have younger children riding with you – they would definitely benefit from some training.
- Connect with your school’s P&C for some extra support: they could spread the word to other families, become leaders, or decide to start another bike bus in a different part of your catchment.
- Go the extra mile
- Contact your local police and let them know about your Bike Bus. It’s good to keep them in the loop, so should anything happen, they can intervene and help.
- You will probably find that there’s room for improvement in terms of cycling infrastructure. Get in touch with your local City or Town and let them know what your Bike Bus needs.