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

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!
Intorduce 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