All aboard the ‘bike bus’: Some Baltimore students have a new ride to school

On Fridays, kindergartner Letti Hoffberger rides a different kind of bus to school: It’s multicolored; it requires a helmet; its drivers are her and a bunch of other 5- to 10-year-olds.

It’s the bike bus, Baltimore’s cutest mode of transportation.

The idea is simple: A bunch of kids and parents meet up to ride their bikes to school together. There’s safety in numbers, as a large group of bikers is more visible than a single pedaler, and if that group includes kids, drivers may be more likely to slow down, give the group space and pass cautiously.

Not only do the kids get to school safely, but they start the day with physical activity that some parents think helps them focus in the classroom.

Oh, and it’s really, really fun, Letti said. Why? Because she’s with her friends and her bike is red and “awesome,” obviously.

Riding a bike to school used to be normal. In 1969, nearly half of all U.S. elementary and middle schoolers walked or rode bicycles to school, according to the National Center for Safe Routes to School. By 2009, that number dropped to 13% as the share of kids driven to school skyrocketed.

Lily Mitchell, Letti’s mother and an organizer for the Roland Park group, wanted to pass her love for cycling on to her kids and thought a bike bus could foster more community in the neighborhood.

“It was seeing the line of cars down Roland Avenue every morning and thinking there had to be something better,” Mitchell said.

On a recent Friday morning, the ride north to Roland Park Elementary/Middle School was nearly idyllic: crisp, spring air, golden-hour sunlight and kids laughing as they pushed up a roadway lined with bright green trees.

But the bumper-to-bumper rush-hour traffic was a constant reminder that the group was on a bustling city road.

As the bike bus wheels went round and round, everyone did their best to keep them within Roland Avenue’s painted bike lane, with parents often riding between moving cars and their kids. Drivers were largely careful and respectful, some even honking and waving in support.

A man walking on the sidewalk saw the group, smiled and said: “Wow, I love that.”

Baltimore has been trying to become more bike-friendly. There’s a goal of providing more protected bike lanes, and planners continue redesigning road segments to better accommodate bikers and pedestrians. But progress has been slow as some communities push back against the changes, and Baltimore’s car culture has been slow to adapt.

As the kids approached a red light just blocks from school, a silver Volkswagen SUV with a shiny Virginia license plate was parked and blocking the bike lane. Parents pedaled into the car traffic lane and slowed down so the kids could go around; as they did, several of the kids loudly booed the car. The idling driver’s eyes remained glued to her phone.

Bike bus parents told The Banner that they want to see more protected bike lanes across the city, an addition that would make them feel better about letting their kids get around on their bikes by themselves one day. And they know other parents and neighbors in the community who would love to bike more as transportation but just don’t feel safe doing it.

Bike buses are trending. There are scores of them around the world, including in Howard, Montgomery and Prince George’s counties.

Celebrities like singers Benson Boone and Justin Timberlake have joined a Portland, Oregon, bike bus that is often credited with being the first. Earlier this month, New York City Mayor Zohran Mamdani donned a yellow safety vest and joined some Brooklyn kiddos on their morning bike bus for one of his Instagram videos.

One commenter tagged Baltimore Mayor Brandon Scott, encouraging him to ride with the Roland Park bike bus — “I’m with that!” Scott wrote.

But he wouldn’t be the first Charm City official to get with the trend.

In Highlandtown, sixth grader Sarah Parker starts every school day with a party — a “mini bike party,” that is. And as every party needs the right host to set the vibe, every bus needs a good driver. She’s lucky to have a dad who is a natural leader — City Councilman Mark Parker.

“I love seeing my kids and their friends be active and excited to start the day,” said Parker, an avid bike commuter who often makes the trip from his Southeast Baltimore district to City Hall on two wheels and wearing a suit.

Parker rides ahead of the group of about 10 kids so he can be a temporary crossing guard at intersections. Once the kids are through, he pushes back up to the front of the group to get to the next stop.

Sarah and the other kids laugh and joke with one another along the way as people walking their dogs in Patterson Park wave. The short treks boost the kids’ confidence, Parker said, both as riders and as young people developing agency and learning to navigate their community.

The Roland Park and Highlandtown groups are small, but the kids are recruiting more friends.

Mitchell, who organizes the Roland Park crew, said another bike bus bound for the same school has begun, this one coming south down Roland Avenue.

When the groups arrive, it’s a mad dash to stash bikes, don backpacks and hug parents goodbye.

And the school’s bike racks are full.