‘Walking School Bus’ program expanding to Langford and other parts of Greater Victoria

The BC government is supporting and expanding the ‘Walking School Bus’ program, which allows kids to walk to school while supervised to help them start their day with fresh air and exercise.

The program was started and is still led by the Society for Children and Youth of BC (SCYBC), while the Province acts as a partner of the initiative. 

According to SCYBC, the walking school bus acts much like a traditional yellow school bus. A group of students will walk and/or from school each day along a designated route, while stopping along the way to pick up more students. 

The walks are led by trained adult walk leaders, who walk with the group daily. 

SCYBC says that in the 2023/24 school year alone, when the Walking School Bus operated in just nine schools, with around 130 children participating, over three tons of greenhouse gas emissions were saved.

“Walking to school offers a wonderful opportunity for students and parents to connect with their community,” said Ravi Parmar, MLA for Langford-Highlands, on behalf of Mike Farnworth, Minister of Transportation and Transit. 

“I’m excited to see this program expand in many parts of the province, especially in the community where I grew up. It’s rewarding to know that students in Langford and other communities in BC will benefit from this initiative, helping them develop healthy habits and safer ways to commute.”

The Province says the initiative allows children to learn safe commuting skills and build healthy pedestrian habits.

Additionally, the program will soon include a Biking School Bus in some participating communities where trained cycling leaders will bike with groups of students to and from school.

“After a successful pilot in Metro Vancouver in partnership with the Province and TransLink, we are thrilled to be working with the Province to help more children across British Columbia develop active travel habits through our Walking School Bus program,” said Stephanie Howell, executive director, Society for Children and Youth of BC. 

The BC government has invested $1.1 million to help support the 15 schools in BC that are a part of the Walking School Bus program.

In Greater Victoria, the program is now operating in some elementary schools throughout Langford, Sooke, Nanaimo, Esquimalt, Saanich and Central Saanich. 

The Province says it will continue to expand to all schools where possible in Greater Victoria and across BC as a whole.