1. Walking School Bus Programs
Iowa Bicycle Coalition

2. What is a Walking School Bus?
● A walking bus is a form of student transport for
children who, chaperoned by adults walk to
school, in much the same way a school bus
would drive them to school. Like a traditional
bus, walking buses have a fixed route with
designated "bus stops" and "pick up times”.

3. What are the benefits of a Walking
School Bus?
● Promote a healthy lifestyle
● Reduce vehicle traffic and conflict
● Reduce unhealthy emmissions
● Increased safety
● Build community and school spirit!

4. Healthy Lifestyle
The walking school bus can help to reduce
childhood obesity rates by increasing activity
levels for kids. The Centers for Disease Control
and Prevention (CDC) reports the prevalence of
obesity among children and adolescents has
nearly tripled since 1980.

5. Traffic Congestion
More of this...

6. ● Means less of this...

7. Fewer vehicles driving to school creates a safer
environment and provides cleaner air for kids to
breathe!
Research shows that active kids are happier, have
fewer health complications, and perform better in
school!

8. Safety
● Walking School Buses provide supervised, safe
transportation for school. No priority is higher
than making sure our kids are safe at school as
well as on their way to and from school!

9. Sense of community
● Walking to school is not an individual event, it is a
community event. A Walking School Bus
program can give kids a sense of community and
pride in their school.

10. How can you start a Walking
School Bus?
● Keep it simple
● Find volunteers
● Make it fun

11. Start Simple
Start with one route, one day a week.
“Walking Wednesdays” or “Walk-N-Roll Days”
are great examples of one day a week promotions.
Who's already walking? Chances are you have
parents and kids who already have an informal
walking school bus!

12. Volunteers
● Parents. Nobodyis more motivated and more
invested in providing a great environment for
kids than their parents
● Retirees. Many communities have retirees who
want to be involved and make great volunteers.
● Older students. There are no greater role models
for kids than older peers. High school age kids
also benefit from community service.

13. Have Fun!
● Reward kids with freebies (erasers, zipper pulls,
stickers)
● Have a pep rally to kick start the program
● Bring local Police, Fire, and/or EMS to help
celebrate and reward the students!

14. We can help
The Iowa Bicycle Coalition can help you with
Walking School Bus resources and training. We
will also help you promote your program and
provide you the tools necessary to make your
program a success!

15. Move forward in 2013!
Introduce your kids to happy, healthy, active
lifestyles. The habits they learn today will last a
lifetime!

16. Contact us
For more information, contact:
John Phipps
Safe Routes to School Director
Iowa Bicycle Coalition
john@iowabicyclecoalition.org