Our first Buzz Bike Bus goes live!

October 5, 2026

Last week we launched our first new bike bus at St John’s Primary in Chorlton, and more than 150 parents and children joined in! It was an amazing start and a real sign of the appetite for safer, more active journeys to school. This month we’re launching two more new walking and cycling buses. In September, seven different bike buses also came together for a joyful Park Pedal Party at Longford Park.

That event reflects a bigger shift in how we’re working. Instead of treating each bike bus as a standalone school scheme, we’re connecting routes in Chorlton, Whalley Range and Stretford into corridors that can serve families across a wider area. St John’s is our first test of linking a new route into an existing one, helping build a network rather than a set of separate schemes.

What we’re learning

What we’ve learnt so far is that enthusiasm isn’t the challenge; capacity is. Many bike buses depend on one or two dedicated parents, which risks burnout, so we’ve begun recruiting non-parent ride leaders through community and cycling groups. Walking buses are easier for families without bikes but often rely on school staff, and we’re testing different ways to run them, from parent or volunteer leaders. Missie, our coordinator, works with each school to understand its priorities, whether road safety, punctuality or getting more children moving, and shapes the right approach around them.

Behind the scenes, we’ve developed training, safeguarding support and a Bike Bus Quick Start Guide, and our monitoring is now in place to measure the difference these schemes make. Interest is spreading too, with conversations underway in Bolton, Bury, Stockport and Tameside.

Free Ride Leader Training

We are also offering a FREE Ride Leader training course on Saturday, 7th November at Chorlton Library for anyone currently participating in bike buses or interested in getting involved. This training has been made available through TfGM and will be delivered by Bike Right. To register, please contact Tiffany Chong.