A community-led initiative where trained adult marshals escort groups of children to school by bicycle along planned routes, creating a safe, social, and healthy way for primary school pupils to travel to school daily.
CycleBus was founded by Alan Curran in Galway, Ireland, who wanted to safely cycle his five-year-old to school in a busy suburb with inadequate cycling infrastructure. The first Irish CycleBus launched in October 2018 with 25 students and 8 adults, and has since expanded to 8 locations across Ireland.
One parent shares: "My 7-year-old has been on the cycle bus every day for the past 2 years. He arrives in school awake, energised, and ready for learning. Cycling to school is just a normal part of his childhood now."
The initiative requires careful risk assessment and route planning, typically covering approximately 2km on relatively flat terrain. Marshals position themselves at the front, rear, outside edges, and major junctions to ensure complete safety coverage. The programme connects with local green schools initiatives and travel schemes for additional support.
Research shows that car-centric community planning has created environments unsuitable for child cycling, but CycleBus demonstrates how community action can create the critical mass needed to encourage broader cycling adoption among families.
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You will need approximately 1 hour per day excluding cycle bus travelling to manage your Cycle Bus groups and stakeholders.
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