What It Means
A walking school bus is a group of children who walk to school together with one or more adults, the way a carpool works but on foot. It can be as informal as a few families taking turns, or a school-backed program with a set route, "bus stops" where children join at set times, and a schedule of adult volunteers. The adults watch for traffic and other dangers along the way and model safe walking.
Try It: Work Out How Many Adults Your Walk Needs
Enter how many children walk in each age group. The adults needed use the CDC ratios given in Safe Routes to School guidance, rounded up.
With one adult, nobody can step away to help a child without leaving the rest. Buhata's suggestion: bring a second adult.
Children 10 and older may need fewer adults. Adjust for ability, distance and how busy the route is, and check your school's field trip policy.
How Parents Say It
- "I've got the walking bus on Tuesdays and Thursdays."
- "The bus leaves the corner of Elm at 7:45, don't be late."
- "We need one more parent to lead the Friday walk."
The Breakdown
Adults needed by age, per CDC as given in Safe Routes to School guidance
| Children's ages | Adults to children |
|---|---|
| 4 to 6 | 1 adult for every 3 children |
| 7 to 9 | 1 adult for every 6 children |
| 1010,000 stepsA popular daily step goal that began as the name of a 1960s Japanese pedometer; later studies find health benefits begin well below it. See more and older | Fewer adults may be needed |
The guidance says to adjust these for the children's ages and abilities, the distance and the walking environment, and that a school's field trip policy may be a good guide.
How to start one
- Find a few families who live along the same way to school.
- Walk the route together without children first and choose the safest path and the meeting points, your "bus stops."
- Set a pickup time for each stop.
- Make a schedule of which adults lead the walk on which days, using the ratios above.
- Tell the school, and ask whether it already runs or supports a walking school bus.
When to talk to the school. Before the first walk, ask whether the school or district has a policy for walking groups, and whether it has a Safe Routes to School program that can help plan the route.
Good to Know
NHTSA lists the walking school bus among its pedestrian safety countermeasures, and the adult leaders are the core of it: they supervise traffic crossings and other risks along the way and show children how to walk safely. The CDC ratios are a starting point. A route with busy crossings, or a group of younger children, can call for more adults than the table shows.
FAQ
How many adults does a walking school bus need?
Safe Routes to School guidance gives CDC's ratios: one adult for every three children ages 4 to 6, one for every six children ages 7 to 9, and possibly fewer for ages 10 and up, adjusted for ability, distance and the route.
Does a walking school bus have to be run by the school?
No. It can be informal, with parents taking turns, or a formal school program with a set route, stops, a timetable and a volunteer schedule.
What's the difference between a walking school bus and a carpool?
It works the same way, with families sharing the job of getting children to school, but on foot with adult leaders instead of in a car.
Do It in Buhata
Duty Rotation (Premium), Calendar
Use Duty Rotation (Premium) in your Household Space to work out which adult at home leads your family's walk days, and put those days on the Calendar.
Open BuhataRelated Terms and Categories
- School zone
A marked stretch of road near a school where drivers must watch for children and obey the posted school zone speed limit, often at set times of day.
- Morning routine
A set series of steps you follow each morning, in the same order, to get yourself or your household up, ready and out the door on time.
- After-school routine
The same set of steps a child follows between getting home from school and dinner, usually a snack, active play, some downtime and homework.
Sources
National Highway Traffic Safety Administration, Countermeasures That Work, "Walking School Bus"; Safe Routes Partnership, "The Wheels on the Bus: Gathering the Evidence for Walking School Buses"; National Center for Safe Routes to School, SRTS Guide, "Walking School Buses and Bicycle Trains"; National Center for Safe Routes to School, SRTS Guide, "Addressing Safety"; Safe Routes Partnership, "How to Start a Walking School Bus at Your School"
- www.nhtsa.gov/book/countermeasures-that-work/pedestrian-safety/countermeasures/other-strategies-behavior-change-3
- www.saferoutespartnership.org/blog/wheels-bus-gathering-evidence-walking-school-buses
- www.saferoutespartnership.org/sites/default/files/resource_files/step-by-step-walking-school-bus.pdf
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