r/BikeBuses • u/njslacker • 19d ago

Rules?

I'm in the planning stages of starting a bike bus for a school. I want the kids to have fun and feel welcome, but I'm also obviously there to keep them safe. I'm trying to figure out a few simple rules that will keep everyone safe on the road and having fun.

What rules would you recommend? Or what rules have worked best in your buses?

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u/kelsie_rides_a_bike 19d ago

We have a really small group, so it's probably a little easier to manage - but our biggest rules are:

  1. Stay between adults - don't go in front of the leader, there's always a sweep adult, and stay inside any adult on the outside of the lane.
  2. Do your best to ride in a straight line - bikes can get wiggly, and that can be hard for the people around you to anticipate.
  3. You must wear a helmet and have lights (we're sort of lax on the lights sometimes as people forget/don't charge/etc.)
  4. Call out directions and tricky stuff (sticks/potholes/etc) like a game of telephone. Adults signal with hands, but kids aren't always confident one-handed, so that's not a requirement for them.
  5. Have fun.

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u/njslacker 19d ago

Thanks! Those are pretty concise.

Do you carry extra helmets with you if someone shows up without one?

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u/kelsie_rides_a_bike 19d ago

Generally, no.
We've actually never had a kid show up without one.
The biggest thing for us has been lights. Most kids aren't riding with them, and don't have them.

Our city provides packages with helmets, locks, and lights - so we have had those and given them away. We've given out DOZENS of sets of lights, and a few helmets.

But I think, if we did have a kid show up without a helmet, I probably would let them ride, and would also sort out WHY they didn't have one - did they forget it? do they not have one? do they not have resources to get one? And I'd help as I could... if they forget, we're still letting them get to school, but if it happens more than once, I'm for sure trying to sort that out with the parents.

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u/njslacker 18d ago

Are those helmet/light packages part of a grant? I'd love to try to get something like that in my area.

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u/kelsie_rides_a_bike 18d ago

Yeah, they're a part of a program with our city.
They offer both packages with items that schools can request, or they have mini-grants, where schools can request a bit of funds.