15 Jun 2021
Every parent knows how hectic school mornings can be – getting everyone dressed, fed and out the door with a shoe on each foot is the marathon before the day’s begun – but what if you could save the time of driving to school, while your child gets extra physical activity into their day?
Parents at Charles Weston School have done just that! Multiple families at the school have set up walking school bus groups, where groups of children of all ages make the journey to school together with parents alternating supervision responsibilities.
Luke is a father of four and his family are part of a walking school bus group. With around 20 kids all living in the same street, he said it simply made sense that they would travel together to get to school.
The parents created a Whatsapp group to open lines of communication and ensure everyone was on the same page.
“We worked it out so that one parent would take the kids to school every week. It saves everyone some time in the morning and that parent still gets to work on time too,” Luke said.
“It’s been really convenient. The kids can make friends with kids in other year groups, and they enjoy cruising along - either walking scootering or on their bikes.”
The group has not only contributed to getting the kids active and to school on time but has helped strengthen and build community connections in the area.
“You can look out at the door at 8:30am and see them mingling with their friends and know that they’re in safe hands,” Luke said.
Apart from the individual benefits of saving time in the morning and getting active, initiatives like these are beneficial on a community level, reducing congestion on roads around schools and lessening the number of cars squeezing into school carparks in the peak morning period.
If you’re feeling inspired to try, check out Transport Canberra’s website for tips and advice on making active travel work for your family at Active travel toolkit 
.