Walking school buses

A walking school bus provides a fun, safe, active and sustainable way for children to travel to and from school with adult supervision – that even the youngest students can enjoy.

Walking school bus coordinators’ guide

Walking school bus brochure (PDF, 248 KB)

How does a walking school bus work?

Each bus walks along a set route, with at least one adult ‘driver’, picking children up at designated stops and walking them to school. The number of drivers depends on the size of the bus. We recommend a ratio of one driver to every eight children. If you have two drivers, it’s a good idea to have one at the front of the bus and the other at the back.

Some buses pick up children from outside their houses, while other buses have designated bus stops. In the afternoons, when the children are coming home from school, the process is reversed. 

The bus can be flexible to suit the needs of the families using it. It can transport just a few children or as many as 50. It can run as often as demand requires and children can use it as often as they like.

What are the benefits of a walking school bus?

Walking to school has a lot of benefits for children, their caregivers and the environment.

What ages is the walking school bus for?

The bus is for children of all ages. However, schools have found that five to eight-year-olds are most likely to use it. By walking regularly on the bus, children can learn the road safety skills they need to be able to walk independently.

Older children can be encouraged to use the bus by giving them responsibilities: for example, watching out for cars entering or leaving driveways or looking after younger children. The school can support older children doing this by rewarding them with house points, certificates or stickers.

How do I start one?

As with all new initiatives, somebody has to take the lead in getting things started.  In your school community, it could be a parent, teacher, principal, school board trustee or the local road safety coordinator.  Whoever makes the first move, their key role is to enlist support.  A supportive school community will ensure the success of the walking school bus.

A great way to get started is to put a message in the school newsletter and organise a meeting of interested families.  If the school has many people for whom English is not a first language, it may be more effective to talk directly to people at the school gate, use word of mouth or translate notices into different languages.

It’s a good idea to contact your local council and ask to speak to a road safety coordinator. They may be able to help set up the walking school bus and provide some useful resources. You can also talk to a travel behaviour change facilitator at your nearest Land Transport New Zealand regional office for more information.

Ensuring your walking school bus route is safe

We recommend that you get the proposed route for your walking school bus checked by a Road Safety Coordinator, traffic engineer, Police education officer or other Police staff (road policing officers, community constables and iwi liaison officers) to ensure it is safe.

Schools using walking school buses

Thousands of children throughout New Zealand are catching a walking school bus to and from school. These buses have been operating in some areas for about eight years, many with the ongoing support of road safety coordinators.  In June 2006 we recorded approximately 330 walking school buses in about 120 schools across the country with over 4000 registered users.

If you are involved in a walking school bus that we are not aware of, please let us know about it by contacting a travel behaviour change facilitator at your nearest Land Transport New Zealand regional office.

From parent to regional coordinator for ARTA

Sue Kendall was first involved as a parent helping to set up a walking school bus at Gladstone Primary School in Auckland in 1999. Now, she’s the Walking School Bus Coordinator for the Auckland Regional Transport Authority (ARTA).
>> Read about Sue's work in Auckland

Reducing cars on Nelson and Tasman District roads

In Nelson, seven primary schools involving 60 children have walking school buses. That’s potentially 60 less cars clogging the road and causing traffic congestion at school gates, says Krista Hobday, Journeys to Schools Coordinator for Nelson City Council.
>> Read about Krista's work in Nelson and Tasman

Page created: 1 May 2007