Ocean City has a Biking School Bus — Your town can too!

Host a Biking School Bus event in your town!

This school year, make the leap and host a bike and walk to school event in your town. Walking and biking to school among students yields a variety of benefits for the community, and there are many resources available for towns looking to host an event.

A fun option is hosting a Biking School Bus event. Students meet at an agreed on point and bike to school along a specific route, chaperoned by police officers, crossing guards, parents, and other volunteers. Students can also join the Biking School Bus along the route rather than at the starting point.

 

Ocean City shows how to do it!

Ocean City in Cape May County has been running a Biking School Bus since 2009, showcased in the video above. It is the product of a partnership between the school district, police department, the mayor’s Healthy Living Advisory Council, the community organization Bike OCNJ, and Cross County Connection, the regional TMA.

The event’s goal is to limit the amount of school traffic while promoting healthy lifetime habits among students. Teacher Andrew Benfer said that biking energizes students for the school day. Within the larger community, Tom Heist of Bike OCNJ said that, as a result of investing in facilities and education, more people feel safer riding bikes on the streets.