'Bike Bus' Social Media Trend Inspires Maine Communities

SOUTH PORTLAND, Maine (WMTW) – Inspired by Coach Balto on social media, Rose Devlin and Stefan Apse started a bike bus in their neighborhood to take kids to Dora Small Elementary School every Friday.

“Instead of jumping on a school bus, you jump on a bike, you have a route and we pick up the kids and parents on the way to school,” Apse said.

Their first bike-bus ride was on the last day of school in June. They resumed the ride every Friday starting in the 2024-2025 school year.

“We said, ‘Let’s just do it,’” Devlin said. “We made an itinerary with specific locations where we would be at specific times, and we sent it out to as many people as we knew.”

In addition to avoiding the frustration that can arise from getting children into the car to go to school, they believe that the bike bus has several advantages.

The National Center for Safe School Journeys says active travel to school helps children contribute to a cleaner environment. They also learn safety and health habits.

“I think it has a lot of benefits, especially for kids, in terms of energy and physical and social connection,” Apse said. “But it also makes us think about bike and pedestrian traffic, crosswalks and how we can make it safer for people to cycle to schools or just around town.”

Parents are encouraged to accompany their children. The success and safety of the bike bus depends on the help of adults, especially when crossing an intersection.

Apse and Devlin are excited to see their bike bus grow. They also hope other families in South Portland and beyond will feel inspired to run a bike bus to other schools.

“Once you see kids enjoying the bike bus, you see that it’s really worth it, and it’s not that hard to get started, really. Just create a route and tell a few people about it. It doesn’t matter if it’s just a few people at first. The system grows and people will want to join you,” Devlin said.

Devlin posts about his bike bus on Instagram at @sopobikebus. You can also find inspiration, resources and tips for getting started online at bikebus.world.