No yellow bus, just two wheels: Lewes students pedal their way to school in a new bike bus pilot in Southern Delaware

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The morning commute to Lewes Elementary School looked a little different for dozens of students and community members on a recent morning. Instead of lining up in cars or waiting for a traditional school bus, more than 40 riders grabbed their bicycles, strapped on their backpacks and pedaled together toward school.

Music filled the air as the group made its way through the streets. Students rode alongside teachers and other community members, while neighbors stepped outside to cheer them on. What started as a morning ride quickly turned into something resembling a rolling celebration, with children joining the growing group along the way.

The ride was part of a new bike bus pilot program designed to give students another way to get to school while encouraging physical activity, building community and promoting bicycle safety.

A bike bus is a coordinated group of cyclists, typically students accompanied by adult volunteers, who travel together along a designated route and schedule. Much like a traditional school bus, riders can join at designated stops along the way. But instead of getting on a vehicle, they pedal alongside one another until they reach their destination.

For Brian Kellman, a member of the City of Lewes Bicycle and Pedestrian Advisory Committee, the idea is about more than getting children to school on two wheels. The initiative responds to changing transportation habits around the school and growing congestion during morning drop-off.

“Where kids used to ride their bikes everywhere and walking or riding to school was something that happened all the time. The parents current drop-off line is cramming up traffic on Savannah Road where the school is,” he said. “For the kids, it’s just a fun thing to do. It gets them out in the morning, it gets them exercising, it gets them interacting with their classmates and other adults who are participating.”

He also pointed to transportation limitations facing the school.

“There’s not enough buses around here,” he added.