Bike buses across the island are getting kids rolling out of bed and into school.
Groups of children, accompanied by a conductor (responsible adult), meet and ride a route together, picking up others at designated “stops”.
It works “exactly the same as a regular bus,” but on your bike, Jay Cracknell, active travel officer at Jersey Sport, said.
Aside from the physical benefits, Mr Cracknell said the scheme has plenty of benefits, including improved mental wellbeing, and opportunity to socialise, improving cycle safety, and getting them ready for learning.
Les Landes Primary School were “pioneers,” introducing the scheme a few years ago. Seeing the success of its “cycling crocodile,” Jersey Sport began encouraging other schools to do the same, offering free “leader” training from December last year.
The leaders can be “anyone,” Mr Cracknell said. “We’re always looking for people to come forward and start up a bike bus in their school, be it a parent, a teacher, or someone just passionate about cycling. We can support whoever it is that wants to start a bike bus.”
Grouville, St Martin and St Mary’s primary schools each have a bike bus now, which helps their students get to school safely and healthily.
The idea is that if cycling becomes a habit early in a person’s life, then they’ll be more likely to commute as they grow up and enter the world of work – reducing pressure on our environment, health service and wallets.
Commuting “just makes sense,” Mr Cracknell said. “Not only the obvious cost of fuel, parking and insurance, but you’re probably going to be spending less money on doctors’ bills. You’re just going to be healthier and fitter from it in general.”
