On Friday mornings at 6:50, kids and parents start to trickle out of their front doors on a quiet street in Pleasant Ridge. Instead of clicking seat belts or walking to the bus stop, they snap on helmets and hop on bikes.
They’re headed to Pleasant Ridge Montessori via bike bus. It works like a school bus. Parents and students cycle along a set route. At several "stops," kids on all kinds of bikes join in by pedaling along with the growing group.
Mackenzie Farmer helped start this bike bus in April. She got the idea from social media.
“I just really loved the videos I was seeing, and the kind of movement, and how the kids just really enjoyed it,” Farmer said. “It just seemed really joyful and happy.”
There are hundreds of bike buses worldwide, from Spain to Brazil, to Dayton, Ohio.
But in the U.S., one of the best known is run by Coach Balto, a P.E. teacher in Portland, Oregon. He shares videos on Tiktok and Instagram of his group, including dozens of students riding along to pop music and parents wearing bright yellow rain coats.
Farmer says while she hasn’t seen any other bike buses in Cincinnati, she thought her neighborhood would be the perfect place to start one.
“I know the community loves all things that bring people together, and we love our schools here,” Farmer told WVXU. “So, I just thought it would be really well received. And, it's something I wanted for my daughter.”
Benefits of bike buses
Advocates for bike buses say they offer a host of benefits, from building community to reducing car traffic and pollution to making roads safer.
Carmen Feist is in fourth grade. She says she usually gets driven to school. But she’s become a big fan of cycling because of the bike bus.
“It's like a good way to start your day. And it gets me up better because on regular school days where I don't bike to school, I'm just like, ‘Oh, I don't want to get up,’ ” Feist said.
She says she loves talking with her friends. And riding in such a big group helps her feel safe on the streets.
“I know that, like a car won't hit me or something like that,” Feist said.
By the time the bike bus pulls up to school, Feist says she’s gotten all of her energy out and is ready to learn.
Most bike buses are for younger elementary school students. They aim to teach kids skills so they can transport themselves in the future without needing a car or parental supervision.
Kathy Cunningham with nonprofit Queen City Bike says that’s valuable.
“Cars are very useful... but they also create a situation where children have lost so much freedom, and I think bike buses are a way for kids to get some of that independence back,” Cunningham said.
By the time young bike bus participants become high schoolers, they’ll be able to bike to extracurriculars and after-school activities while their parents are still at work, she adds.
“As a parent, you can feel confident that they already kind of know what to do and how to handle themselves on the street,” Cunningham said.
Navigating a busy street
The bike bus route primarily includes side streets. But the last stretch requires the group to ride a half mile down Montgomery Road. It takes the bike bus about two minutes to cover that distance. The bikers spread out across the two busy lanes of traffic.
Parent AJ Horn says that was initially a concern when he and others were working to get the bike bus started.
“I would say that 99.9 percent of drivers are super patient and willing to accommodate a big pack of kids on the road,” Horn said. “I think that really lowers the barrier to entry for getting out on your bike and riding around.”
He says he’d still like to see the city become more bike-friendly with additional infrastructure like protected bike lanes and bike paths.
Horn also encourages more neighborhoods to start their own bike buses around town.
“The kids love it. They're seeing such benefits from it. And so if we expand out this impact and have it happen at other schools, then that's amazing,” Horn said.
The bike bus’ last ride of the school year is Friday. Organizers already are planning to do it again next year.
Want to start your own?
Farmer, one of the parents who helped found the Pleasant Ridge Bike Bus, recommends starting by having conversations with other parents at your kid’s school.
She also says people can reach out to Pleasant Streets and the Pleasant Ridge Community Council to learn more about the process.
Bike Bus World has a “How to Start a Bike Bus” guide on its website, along with other resources. The organization is led by Sam Balto, the P.E. teacher and bike bus leader from Portland.
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