Survey Finds A Nationwide Increase in ‘Walking School Buses’

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More students across the nation are walking to and from school according to an October 2013 survey, conducted by the National Center for Safe Routes to School.

The survey found that in 2012, 15.7% students walked to school compared to only 12.4% in 2007. The percentage of students that walked home also rose from 15.8% to 19.7%.

Initiatives to get kids up and moving have become increasingly popular with the rise of schools participating in Safe Routes to School (SRTS) programs.

According to a blog post from the Sustainable City Network,  in 2007, only 1,833 schools participated in National Safe Routes to School programs. By September 2013, approximately 13,863 schools were involved.

While more kids seem to be walking, trends also show that students of medium income households were more likely to have a parent drop them off by car. Alternatively, the amount of students from low-income schools who walked to school increased from 21.8% in 2007 to 27.6% in 2012.

School busing decreased significantly, between 2007-2012, and a small but significant decrease was also seen among students who biked to school.

Programs like a walking school bus, which consist of a group of children who travel to school together accompanied by an adult, can have many benefits including:

• more minutes of physical activity,
• reduced neighborhood crime,
• increased school attendance, and
• reductions in hydrocarbon emissions from traffic.

Because Latino children are prone to sedentary behaviors, have few options for physical activity throughout the day, and often live in neighborhoods of high crime, they can stand to benefit from walking school bus programs.

To learn more about Latinos and active playtime click here.

See how a walking school bus improved neighborhood safety for Latinos in Springfield, MA.

To read the full Trends in Walking and Bicycling to School from 2007 to 2012 report click here.

See the Sustainable City Network’s post, ‘Walking School Buses’ Picking Up Speed, for more on this growing trend.