San Francisco's "Bike Bus" puts a fresh spin on commute to school
It's a daily scene that plays out in homes across America, families rushing to get their kids off to school. Some ride their bikes; many more take the bus.
But on a chilly October morning 9-year-old Callum Johnson was doing both.
Instead of seat on a yellow school bus, Johnson and his mom Leslie were catching what's known as the "SF Bike Bus," a pedal-powered convoy that blends family time with the morning commute.
"It's exciting. It's not just how we get to school, it's an event," said Leslie Yeh, Johnson's mom.
Like a school bus, the bike bus caravan it picks up riders along the way. But for those willing to bike the extra mile, the group meets right before 8 a.m. in the Mission's Garfield Square, where the party's at.
SF Bike Bus co-founder Luke Bornheimer said the idea is to crank up the fun on the daily ride to school.
"Most kids don't want to sit in the back of a car and just be driven to school, which is just really boring and lonely and not social," he said.
The concept has been around for years, but recently shifted into high gear, with more than 500 bike busses operating around the world.
During the 1960s, 42% of school children walked or biked to school. Today it's only 11%, according to Federal Highway Transportation data.
Sam Balto, an Oregon physical education teacher and the founder of Bike Bus World, an organization that helps others start their own riding group, said more and more parents are leaving their cars behind and joining the movement.
They're definitely having a moment but I think this moment is going to last a long time," he said.
Chris Livaccari, the head of Presidio Knolls School in San Francisco, said the Bike Bus is a good way to get kids to start their day on the right foot.
They need the energy the blood flow to the head to really be focused, be energetic, be mindful throughout the day," he said.