Some Des Moines kids are now pedaling to school in a "bike bus"

State of play: Moore Elementary's bike bus program launches Wednesday after several weeks of piloting the route and adjusting the schedule.

• The program run by several parents allows kids to more safely bike to school, which is within a 2-mile radius for many students. Around 15 people are expected.

Flashback: Back when parent Dan Fillius was a kid, it was normal for students to walk and bike to school, he said.

• That's changed as more parents fear the morning rush of traffic and distracted drivers. Since 2020, the number of cyclists and pedestrians killed or seriously injured by drivers in the Des Moines metro has been increasing.
• "They feel safer idling their car for 30 minutes, waiting for their kid to get out of school, rather than use the sidewalks that we have here," Fillius says.

How it works: The concept is like a typical school bus. The bike bus moves through a fixed route and picks up kids — and sometimes their parents, if they would like to join along the way.

• There's safety in numbers for cyclists, says Moore parent Kimberly Stone, who bikes with her first grader.

• "We chat the whole way. She's observing things on the way, and it's just joyful," Stone says.

The big picture: Hubbell Elementary launched its bike bus program last year.

• Schools across the country are launching their own programs, including Denver and Portland.

The bottom line: "I really love the option of reducing our carbon footprint and doing everything we can to make the world a better place," says Moore parent Kristen Anderson, who bikes with her first grader. "Even if it's something as small as riding 2 miles."