How to set up a bike bus

For Michelle Brady, riding her daughter to school was a simple, joyful part of family life. But over time, what had started as a healthy daily routine became increasingly stressful.

“My daughter went to Dutton Park Primary School originally and I have a son at Yeronga Primary School. When she started prep in 2016 we would ride up Fairfield Rd. She would be in the bike trailer and that was fine. But over the years ithe traffic became more and more congested and riding up that road felt reckless,” she said. “You had to ride up the footpath, which again has its challenges. Then you had to go up the side streets, which of course is much more time consuming up and down hills.”

As her son prepared to start school, Michelle began looking for a safer way for families to ride. That search led her to the concept of a bike bus, groups of students and parents riding together to school on a set route, with set stops, supported by adult leaders.

“With my son starting prep this year I really thought it would be great to get some bike buses set up to make, yeah, a safer way to ride,” she said.

Working with other parents, Michelle helped launch bike buses at three local schools in June 2025, including Yeronga State School, creating a visible and growing movement of families choosing active travel. The community group were successful in applying for one of TMR’s Bike Riding Encouragement Program grants, which helped them create these resources to guide other groups on developing their own bike bus.

Bike Bus Program – Project Summary: This will help get you started. It includes setting up routes and stops, communication, tracking uptake and more.

Junction Park State School Bike Bus FAQ: Information is everything! Having an FAQ sheet will help spread the word to interested parents at your child’s school, so they can decide if the Bike Bus is for them.

Bike Bus Leader Training: Deciding who should lead a Bike Bus, and what their experience is, is essential. This helps determine processes, protocols and ground rules. This should also cover basics like fixing a flat tyre!

Bike Bus Program – Safe Active Travel Feedback: A Bike Bus is an excellent way to get feedback on active transport decisions – and infrastructure. Sourcing feedback can help guide advocacy in your area.