Piedmont parents organized a “bike bus” for students after AC Transit eliminated a bus route, promoting safety and independence for kids traveling to Havens Elementary School
Elementary Students Participate in Community Bike Bus
PIEDMONT, Calif. – A group of elementary school students in the East Bay rode to school together on Friday morning as part of a community-led effort known as a “bike bus.”
| Detail | Information |
|---|---|
| Location | Piedmont, California |
| Participants | About 20 children |
| Start Point | Piedmont Hills |
| Distance | About 1 mile |
| Time | Just after 8 a.m. |
Parents organized the group ride to encourage students to bike to school together. They aim to promote safety and independence in numbers.
The idea for the bike bus started about six months ago. AC Transit eliminated the bus line that students used to travel from upper Piedmont to the center of town. This change was due to budget cuts and changes in ridership. The loss of the route left parents and students without a public transit option.
In response, a group of parents called Piedmont Unplugged organized the bike bus. They believe that traveling as a group makes children more visible to drivers and safer, especially since the bus no longer runs in that area.
“We live in the upper part of the neighborhood and for us it was the only access to the school,” said Danielle Horowitz of Piedmont Unplugged. “We really needed to do something else.”
Melissa Partovi, another organizer, expressed excitement about students eventually getting to school on their own as a group, without parents accompanying them.
For the initial ride, the children had a Piedmont police escort trained in bike safety. Organizers said the goal is for future rides to be done independently by the students, traveling together.
Organizers noted that similar bike bus programs are operating in communities across the country. They were inspired by a similar effort in Boston and hope participation will grow as the program becomes more popular.
