Across the world, a new commuter trend is emerging, known as the “bike bus”. 

Aimed to increase safety and positive exercise habits among primary school children, the bike bus acts as a school bus would – following a designated (off-road) route, picking up students along the way and dropping them off at school. 

Kate Bradney is a local mum who wanted to bring the concept to Lyneham, so she, Paris Lord, Pedal Power board member, and some other parents met at Tilley’s Cafe in Lyneham to hatch a plan.

“Paris, myself, my mum, and a few other volunteers from the school, we were a group called Walk Cycle Lyneham,” says Kate.

“I met Paris about a year ago when he was running an adult bike bus through Lyneham.

“Together we kind of had the idea that this would be great for young people, for kids going to school. 

“I guess one of the catalysts was that kids in Lyneham really love cycling, and we have a really strong bike culture.

“Lately it’s been getting more and more dangerous to ride to school in Lyneham, and so we just kind of wanted to get back to the grassroots and celebrate riding, but also give kids a bit more confidence.”

Kate says they advertised the idea via their local network of parents, through the Lyneham Primary P&C and on their Walk Cycle Lyneham Facebook group.

On December 13, the bike bus went for its first ride, and Kate says it was an enormous success.

“It was just so joyful and peaceful and the kids had such a great time and we had an incredible turnout in the first week,” she says. 

“Around 40 people attended.

“We dropped kids to the preschool and then continued to school. They were buzzing when we arrived at school with music, in a gang of bikes and excitement. It was pretty spectacular.

“Paris has been trying to get a bike bus movement going in Canberra for, I think, a fairly long time and he was just so blown away by the people that turned up. 

“It just shows what good teamwork can be when you have a community who have all the social networks and then you have Paris who’s this expert on bike bus methodology.”

Alongside encouraging already competent cyclists, Kate says they have had children wanting to learn to ride specifically for Bike Bus. 

One of her daughter’s friends from preschool had attended the Bike Bus in December on her scooter, says Kate, but when she saw all her friends on pushbikes she was determined to join them in the new year.

Kate says the young girl practised all school holidays and is now able to ride a bike.

“We’re hoping to make like these lifelong riders for sustainable transport and all that,” says Kate.

“I’ve been really grateful that so many of our school networks have really supported and got behind this.

“I wasn’t sure when Paris and I hatched this idea whether we’d have community support and I kind of had that trepidation.

“And then people just kept coming and coming.” 

Kate’s eldest daughter Tildie Bradley, 8, loves the bike bus.

“It’s good for the environment, and it’s better than driving a car and stuff like that,” she says.

For other kids that might be nervous, Tildie says: “I’ll be right there next to you if you ever need help or something like that.”

Eventually, Kate says she would love to expand the bike bus to run from Downer to Lyneham but there are a few infrastructure hurdles that they would need to consider first.

The Bike Bus meets on Wednesdays at the Hide and Seek café in North Lyneham at 8am for an 8.15am departure time. It arrives at Lyneham Primary School at 8.45am. Full route at canberrabybike.au/home/bikebus