A new cycling initiative created in partnership by Schwalbe and Sustrans, designed to promote cycling to school, has been launched in the UK with the help of Bike DJ, Dom Whiting, and Great Britain’s Greatest Paralympian, Dame Sarah Storey.
The FRideDays
Bike Bus encourages parents, guardians, teachers, volunteers and children to walk, wheel or cycle to school together
every Friday in scheduled
bike bus rides. It aims to improve children’s physical
activity and mental health.
Despite only
4% of children cycling to school, 50% of them would choose cycling to school
over other modes of transport.* Therefore, world-leading bike tyre
manufacturer, Schwalbe Tyres UK, and walking and cycling charity Sustrans have
joined forces to give more children the opportunity to cycle to school together.
To raise awareness of the initiative and demonstrate how easy it is to get involved, Dom Whiting, joined one of many rides happening across the UK as part of the FrideDays Bike Bus toolkit launch.
Cycling DJ Dom Whiting combines his passion
for music and cycling by performing live DJ sets while riding his bike across
towns and cities across the UK.
Commenting on
the launch, he said: "As a DJ who loves to get
people moving, I couldn't be more excited to be part of the FRideDays Bike Bus initiative that encourages parents & children to
ditch their cars each Friday and hop on a bike for their commute to school.
“Cycling is a fun and healthy way for kids to start their day, and I'm thrilled to be able to contribute to this initiative by providing some energizing music and positive vibes along the way.
Seventeen-time Paralympic Gold Medallist,
Dame Sarah Storey, joined the Leicester bike bus, encouraging parents,
guardians & school teachers to set up their own.
She said: “Cycling is probably the most fun
way for children to travel so why should getting to school be any different?
I’m very excited by the FRideDays Bike Bus plans and the opportunity this will
bring for more children to have the same fun as these children here today.”
Parents, guardians, volunteers and teachers
can set up a FRideDays Bike Bus by bringing together one or two families and downloading
the FRideDays Bike Bus easy to use toolkit.
Dave Taylor,
Managing Director of Schwalbe UK, said: "We are
delighted to announce the launch of the new FRideDays Bike Bus initiative,
which offers a fun and social way for children to travel to school.
We truly
believe that cycling should be accessible and enjoyable for everyone. This is a
new initiative that not only benefits the environment, but also gets young
people to understand the health benefits of riding a bike, along with all the
positives for sustainability.
We hope that
it will inspire parents and children to get on their bikes and enjoy the many
benefits of cycling.”
Xavier
Brice, CEO of walking and cycling charity Sustrans, said: “People
increasingly want to travel cheaply and healthily; the daily school run is an
opportunity to do just this and get your day off to a great start. Bike buses
help make this easy and enjoyable, bringing children and young people together
to cycle to school in a safe and sociable group.
“The
FRideDays Bike Bus toolkits will help families, schools and clubs create bike
buses so they can enjoy a safe and fun school commute and make it easier to
choose to leave the car at home.”
The FRideDays
Bike Bus initiative is free and easy to join. Simply bring along five friends
or family members to one of the bike bus-stops listed on the website.
For more
information on the FRideDays Bike Bus initiative and to download the free bike
bus toolkit, visit the website at sustrans.org.uk/fridedays.