The following information has been provided by Tiffany Jackson – the School Travel Plan Co-ordinator for Kapiti Coast Distict Council

In the last 10 years the number of New Zealand’s primary school children driven to school by car has nearly doubled. This increase in car use creates traffic congestion, has an adverse effect on the environment, children are less active and fail to learn road safety rules from experience.

A Walking School Bus is easy way to set up and the children have fun going to and from school. They provide interaction with other children, road safety rules can be learned first hand, increased exercise levels, and the congestion and parking issues around the school gate are reduced.
Kapiti Coast District Council is committed to helping children travel actively and safely to and from school. Tiffany Jackson the School Travel Plan coordinator can help individuals or schools set up a walking bus or a car pooling system.
Contact: tiffany.jackson@kapiticoast.govt.nz

How to set up a Walking School Bus:

• Conduct a simple survey of interested parents and children through the school newsletter
• Collate the survey forms and identify potential routes
• Vet you potential Walking School Bus drivers/volunteers
• Establish a roster and guidelines on how the Walking School Bus will
• operate. This can be done as a group or individually for each route/volunteer
• You might like to trial the concept for a 2 week period and to make sure it works then make it a more permanent fixture.

Check out Feet First’s Free walking school bus resource kit
Feet First – Walking School Bus

TIPS:

Most walking school buses operate morning and afternoons 5 days a week, however if you
only have a limited number of volunteers you may want to start with mornings or afternoons
only.
Set up ground rules for when the weather is bad so all families know whether the children
are walking that day or not. The “domino” effect is a useful way to let everyone know if the
walk is cancelled. The bus driver lets the first pick up know it is cancelled, that parent then
lets the next pick up know etc.