We’re getting ready to celebrate Cycle to School Week 2025, taking place from Monday 13 – Friday 17 October. Ahead of this important week, we caught up on The bike bus and Encouraging children to cycle to school.
Benjamin Smith, Director of Development at The Bikeability Trust tells us more:
At The Bikeability Trust, our vision is simple. We want everyone to have the confidence to cycle and enjoy this life-enhancing skill. As the national charity responsible for delivering the government’s cycle training programme, Bikeability, we work with schools, instructors and volunteers across England to make that vision a reality.
With growing interest in active travel and a national push to decarbonise school transport, we saw an opportunity to revisit one of our long-standing modules, Bikeability bus.
Rethinking an established idea
The original bike bus was an initiative led by instructors, supporting children to cycle safely along a designated path to school. It was an effective model, but one that became increasingly difficult to sustain due to funding and resource limitations.
At the same time, we were looking for new ways to embed cycling more deeply into everyday school life. As more schools work towards their Modeshift STARS accreditation for sustainable travel, we saw potential to relaunch the bike bus, this time with a renewed focus on community involvement.
We asked ourselves a key question, what if local volunteers had the tools, training and confidence to run their own bike bus?
A community-led model
We’ve reimagined the bike bus as a volunteer-led initiative. Rather than being dependent on instructors alone, this new model empowers communities to support regular group rides to school. It’s a more sustainable, scalable approach that places ownership with the people who know their local routes best.
To support this new direction, we’ve developed three key resources:
- Volunteer training resources – including route planning guidance, group riding tips, helmet and clothing checklists, risk assessment templates, and real-life case studies.
- A promotional toolkit – designed to help schools and families get involved, with posters, letters, FAQs and a short explainer video.
- One-to-one instructor support – volunteers can access up to two hours with a qualified Bikeability instructor to review cycling skills, check route suitability and strengthen links to local Bikeability delivery.
This model keeps the spirit of the original bike bus alive, while making it easier to run, more responsive to community needs and better integrated with existing school travel plans.
Early impact and what we’ve learned
Although the relaunch is still in its early stages, we’re already seeing strong signs of success. The new bike bus model is helping to:
- Build confidence – particularly among children who are not yet confident riding independently, or who have additional needs.
- Increase safety and visibility – children riding together feel safer and more empowered.
- Encourage behaviour change – a regular, positive experience can help embed cycling as a daily habit.
- Strengthen community involvement – the volunteer-led approach creates local role models and deepens engagement.
- Shift school travel culture – over time, the bike bus can help normalise cycling to school and influence wider infrastructure planning.
As part of our ongoing development, we’ve conducted a full SWOT analysis. We’ve identified areas for growth, from tailoring delivery to different school environments to recognising the achievements of volunteers. We’re excited about the potential for long-term impact through a supported and celebrated network of community leaders.
Looking ahead
Bringing back the bike bus has given us the opportunity to take a well-loved concept and give it new life. By combining community passion with trusted Bikeability training, we’re helping to create a future where cycling to school is accessible, inclusive and expected.
Together with partners like Modeshift STARS, we’re not just teaching children to ride. We’re supporting them to cycle safely, confidently, and every day.
If your school or local community would like to start a bike bus, or find out more about the resources available, Bike Bus
