{"id":2135,"date":"2026-06-15T16:26:13","date_gmt":"2026-06-15T16:26:13","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/silvybrand.com\/?p=2135"},"modified":"2026-06-15T16:26:13","modified_gmt":"2026-06-15T16:26:13","slug":"is-this-the-most-joyful-way-to-get-to-school","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/silvybrand.com\/?p=2135","title":{"rendered":"Is This the Most Joyful Way to Get to School?"},"content":{"rendered":"


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Every Friday morning, we wait with our first grader at the corner for the bus to arrive. But instead of a big yellow school bus rolling up, it\u2019s a fleet of parents and kids on bicycles: This is our neighborhood \u201cbike bus.\u201d We hop on our bikes and join, heading off toward the next \u201cstop.\u201d We make our way toward the elementary school, more riders joining in along the way. Some weeks there are dozens of us; sometimes it\u2019s just a handful. No matter how big or small the group, every ride on the bike bus feels like a party. <\/p>\n

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I\u2019d wanted to join a bike bus ever since January 2025, when I saw a video<\/a> of the Portland, Oregon one \u2014\u00a0which went viral thanks to a guest appearance by Justin Timberlake. I watched JT biking and dancing alongside hundreds of kids, all so pumped to ride to school together, and thought, I want in<\/em>. That fall, a flyer came home in my daughter\u2019s backpack, announcing our own neighborhood bike bus, and needless to say, I jumped. We studied the route, found our stop, and made a plan to arrive early. <\/p>\n

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The morning of our first ride, we pulled up to the corner to wait \u2014 the whole family helmeted and giddy. My daughter chatted excitedly, one foot on the pavement, the other on the pedal, looking over her shoulder for her friends. My toddler son was strapped into the bike trailer with her giant giraffe stuffy. We heard the bike bus coming before we saw it \u2014 jingling bells and K-pop blasting from a bluetooth speaker. Then it crested a hill in the road and appeared, bike lights flashing and the whole group haloed in the neon glow of reflective safety vests. <\/p>\n

My daughter grinned and pushed off from the curb, eager to join the fray. My son was confused. \u201cWhere\u2019s the bus?\u201d he asked. \u201cBuddy,\u201d I answered, \u201cWe are<\/em> the bus!\u201d<\/p>\n

The bike-bus movement started in the 90s, but really took off in the U.S.<\/a> a few years ago, thanks to Sam Balto<\/a>, the P.E. teacher who started the now-famous Portland bike bus<\/a>. The concept is simple: Adults volunteer to bike alongside children, making the journey to school both safer and a lot more fun. Sam co-founded Bike Bus World<\/a> with New Jersey organizer, Jessica Tillyer. I asked Jessica what inspired her to start a bike bus in her neighborhood<\/a>. \u201cBiking to school felt lonely,\u201d she told me. \u201cAnd a little scary, because of the lack of bike infrastructure.\u201d Now, she says, a good bike-bus day draws up to 400 students. \u201cIt\u2019s transformed our town.\u201d<\/p>\n

Bike Bus World offers guidance and resources for those who want to start their own community bike bus. A little structure can help keep things both organized and fun; they suggest having clearly defined roles for adult riders, with kid-friendly titles. There\u2019s the \u201ccorker<\/a>\u201d (who stops the flow of traffic through an intersection), and the \u201ccaboose\u201d (self-explanatory).<\/p>\n

Today, there are about 450 bike buses across the country, with hundreds more worldwide. They\u2019ve caught on fast, not just because they help kids gain the skill and confidence to safely bike to school, but also because they\u2019re inherently community-building. They\u2019ve also brought more attention to the issue of bike infrastructure. (Last month, Mayor Zohran Mamdani joined a bike bus<\/a> in Brooklyn, and announced plans for a new bike boulevard.) And \u2014 did I mention? \u2014 they\u2019re a lot of fun.<\/p>\n

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As for our little bike bus, we just celebrated our last ride of the school year, after dozens of joyful, rain-or-shine commutes. We\u2019ve had bike-bus birthdays with singing at stoplights, and bike-decorating events where we outfitted our bicycles with flags and reflective safety stickers. One morning, our bike-bus leader showed up with a bubble machine attached to the back of his cargo bike, and we pedaled to school in a cloud of bubbles. <\/p>\n

On our final ride to school, neighbors waved to us from their front yards. \u201cHappy summer!\u201d they called. And though we\u2019re all psyched for the season, we\u2019re already looking forward to fall \u2014 and all the fun surprises that next year\u2019s bike bus will bring. <\/p>\n

Does your community have a bike bus? A Cup of Jo reader named Lily started a bike bus in Baltimore<\/a> this year, too. What were your favorite moments from this school year? <\/strong><\/p>\n

P.S. Biking with kids<\/a> and how learning to mountain bike helped me in early motherhood<\/a>.<\/p>\n

(Bergen Bike Bus photos courtesy of the Mayor\u2019s office. Alameda Bike Bus photos by David Benhaim\/Ready Go Pictures. Bellingham Bike Bus photos by Brian Russell and Kaitlyn Teer.)<\/p>\n

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