Packaging the Travel Choices : SCHOOLS
Walking School Bus
Overview and Objectives
The Walking School Bus is a program designed to encourage primary school children to walk to and from school in groups. The bus travels along a set route, picks up children at designated stops and runs to a timetable (just like a regular bus). This is a parent led program and each bus is supervised by at least 2 parents (driver/conductor).
Initial set up of the program involves safety auditing of the walking route and training of parents to meet regulatory requirements regarding duty of care for children. An educational consultant from the relevant state authority may be involved in conjunction with the school and local council TravelSmart officer in setting up, training parents and monitoring the program.
Key objectives:
- To encourage children to select and participate in active travel modes.
- To provide a safe and supportive environment for children to travel to and from school and at the same time gain a greater sense of safe road behaviour.
- To provide an opportunity for parental involvement in the running of school programs and decrease the traffic congestion around the school.
- To increase opportunities for children to travel independently from parents and socialize with other children.
The Walking School Bus is a very popular program but it is important to consider timing and school readiness to participate. There are some important considerations and challenges in setting up the program but this can also present opportunities to consider introducing other programs first.
Walking School Bus - Program Features
The Walking School Bus (WSB) is a virtual school bus designed to encourage children to walk to and from school and offers parents and children an alternative to short car trips to school. Three important advantages stem from this program: children gain travel skills and confidence while increasing their physical activity levels, safe routes to school are actively in use, traffic congestion around the school is reduced.
When establishing a WSB you need to think about its passengers, drivers and conductors, frequency, and to be prepared for the active co-ordination needed to establish and maintain its operation.
There are five important steps in setting up the framework for a Walking School Bus.
- School Engagement-attend parent association / meeting
- Recruitment of Willing parents and Children-survey parents
- Training of Parents, including auditing of walking routes
- Planning and Implementation of walking bus routes and designated stops
- Co ordination of parents, rosters and participants in the program
It is important to understand the issues and challenges relating to the recruitment of parents and the risk management issues involved in supervising of children.
The benefits of the WSB relate to areas of:
Safety:Children can gain familiarity and security within their community: they are supervised while developing skills promoting safer pedestrian travel.
Environment:Traffic congestion and pollution can be reduced if there are fewer cars around the school.
Health:Children have the opportunity to engage in physical activity and socialize with other children.
Passengers
Type:Primary School Children who are unable to walk to School independently, usually 5 years old and upwards. Children must be able to walk at a reasonable speed.
Number: 8 - 9 children are optimum. Can be up to 15 maximum, but this will depend on the number of supervising parents. (Check state requirements).
Drivers and Conductors
Type:Parents who volunteer to supervise children walking to school in small groups.
Number:There must always be a minimum of two per bus. One parent driving at the front of the bus. The other parent at the rear. Additional parents may be required depending on the local requirements.
Requirements: Parents must undergo a Police Check. Training in supervision and risk management is also compulsory.
Frequency
Times: The Walking School Bus operates twice daily coinciding with the start and finish times of the school day. Parents can elect how often and when their children will participate. They can elect to walk to, from or both trips per day. This also applies to volunteer parents.
Duration: Each Walking School Bus should not take longer than 25 to 30 minutes and operates within a kilometre radius of the school. Check local variations for your area.
Co-ordination
Initial: The Education Consultant/Coordinator from the relevant state authority will initiate the program set up. This will involve the engagement of the school, recruitment of parents, selection of walking route and surveying of interested participants. They are also responsible for the training of parents. Training includes conducting pedestrian audits, which involve an assessment of the routes to be followed by the buses to identify potential hazards and develop approaches to minimise risks. Once operating, the Education Consultant in conjunction with the TravelSmart officer liaises with the school and participants in a supporting and promotional capacity.
Ongoing: Parents have the responsibility for the management of this Program. A coordinating parent is elected to oversee the daily organization and management of the Walking School Bus. This may involve attending to any problems or concerns that occur on the morning or afternoon bus run. Examples include changes in availability of parents or an issue identified along the bus route. Parents are usually required to carry a mobile phone to immediately report any concerns. The whole issue of risk management needs careful attention.
Implementation Issues
A variety of implementation issues are of relevance to WSB programs:
- When should it be introduced?
- School selection
- Commitment of parents
- Training
- Risk management
- Opportunities
When should it be introduced?
The optimum time for introducing the WSB program is after the completion of Safe Routes to School. It will be necessary to check if your council has initiated this program and when it took place. Before recommending the program consideration must be given to the following points:
- Is the area surrounding the school suitable for safe walking? Pedestrian traffic routes must meet the minimum safety standards set by local regulations. If not, then this must be attended to before the program can operate.
- Liability cover must be available for this program. It is important to check with the relevant state authorities to ensure that the correct cover is available for the school. Not allowing for this will result in problems and most likely the immediate closure of the Walking School Bus program.
School Selection
School Selection is a very important consideration. The WSB is a popular program and is often requested by parents and the school. However not all schools are suitable. This may be for the following reasons:
- The area does not have the infrastructure required to ensure safe routes for the WSB to access the School. This can be the case in hilly or semi rural communities where there are no footpaths. In these areas, changes to infrastructure may be far too costly for the local council to be able to fund the work.
- Checking the individual school location and surrounding area for suitability is essential to ensure you understand the issues that may prevent the implementation of this program. It is important to liaise with council planning and infrastructure departments first to understand the issues that may arise.
- Awareness of the current school culture and its community philosophy is important. This program requires voluntary participation and management by parents. Therefore it is important to understand who is wanting the program to run and who is committed to actually running the program. Building a relationship with the school or talking to others who already have this knowledge will help you gauge if the school community is ready.
Commitment of Parents
Commitment to the running of a Walking School Bus may not be easy for even keen parents. Time is the key consideration and it is important to set up an achievable involvement process. You need to prepare for the following issues:
- Remembering that parents are busy people with multiple commitments in their life and limited time availability will often be an important constraint. Prior planning of how you can build this factor into the program promotion will influence the issues that parents may perceive.
- Volunteering to drive (supervise) a School Bus requires commitment to a regular scheduled time. In recruiting parents it is important to stress this requirement.
- By phrasing questions carefully you can avoid parents feeling like there is no flexibility. Offering variety in roster times will help parents trying to work in with other commitments. This will also help gain information that will assist with easier organizing of the driver roster. e.g. ask parents to nominate specific information. 'How many days a week can you commit to and which days won't be suitable?' Offer either morning or afternoon runs.
Training
- It is likely that parents will be required to attend a half-day training workshop run by the Education Consultant/Coordinator from the relevant state authority. Organising a time that suits all parents involved can be challenging. Before organizing a set time and booking venues and resources, work in with the parents and council for possible best options.
- Training is a comprehensive process requiring parent involvement in a pedestrian audit and setting up of the walking routes. Not all parents may want to take on this level of responsibility or skill.
- Encouraging appropriate behaviour and dealing with illness is also an issue for supervisors. For this reason there are always at least two parents in case one must stop with a child along the way. Appropriate handling of the situation is the parent's responsibility. Some parents wanting to get involved will need reassurance of their capability to perform this role.
Risk Management
Risk Management issues highlight the reason for the level of training required for parents.
- Parents must be able to understand the importance of identifying hazards they may encounter. This could relate to the actual walking route or travel behaviour. Failure to adhere to regulations may constitute the closure of the program at that school.
- Check with the Education Consultant/Coordinator and your local council as to what Risk Management actually constitutes in your area. Anticipation of questions relating to risk management is essential for your credibility as a TravelSmart Officer. You do not need to know the intricacies of the regulations or policies. However you need to be aware that parents and school councils will be sensitive to the duty of care requirements relating to children. If you know how to respond or refer the query then you are more likely to be accepted and respected.
Opportunities
Walking School Bus is a high profile program that is visible, tangible and quantifiable. It is TravelSmart's Schools visible link in the community and promotes the philosophy of the school to others.
- When promoting TravelSmart to new clients this is a key benefit. It can be easily observed.
- It can link into other physical activity/health promotions. There could be opportunities for co promoting.