Don’t miss the full story, whose reporting from Tassanee Vejpongsa at The Associated Press is the basis of this AI-assisted article.

A grassroots “bike bus” movement in Montclair, New Jersey, has transformed the Friday morning school commute for hundreds of families, while inspiring similar initiatives worldwide.

Some key facts:

• The Montclair Bike Bus began three years ago with just five parents and has grown to include up to 400 people riding together to school each Friday.

• More than 350 people regularly participate in the weekly 5-mile route, with volunteers in safety vests coordinating the group bicycle rides to local elementary schools.

• There are more than 400 bike bus routes operating worldwide, including in the United States, Europe, Australia, Brazil, India, Indonesia, and Israel.

• Sam Balto, co-founder of Bike Bus World, offers free coaching calls to help parents launch bike buses in their own communities.

• The group travels at approximately 6 miles per hour to accommodate younger children, with most elementary students able to handle distances of 3-5 miles.

• Organizers operate the bike bus year-round through various weather conditions, providing reflective vests and bike lights from sponsors for dark winter mornings.

• Benefits include promoting healthy habits, building community connections, motivating children to get ready for school more quickly, and teaching safe cycling skills.

• Organizers hope the movement will encourage elected officials to invest in safer biking infrastructure for communities.

READ MORE: From a few to more than 350, children and parents ride together to school as a ’bike bus’

• This article is written with the assistance of generative artificial intelligence based solely on Washington Times original reporting and wire services. For more information, please read our AI policy or contact Ann Wog, Managing Editor for Digital, at awog@washingtontimes.com *

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