Coach Sam Balto’s ‘Bike Bus’ program initiated in Oregon, Portland is now a mass movement.
Just when you thought what difference can one person make?
One person can inspire countless others and truly so, a physical education teacher from an elementary school has made a significant impact within two years.
Coach Sam Balto, based in Oregon, Portland, came up with a simple yet innovative idea of a ‘bike bus’ program, which continues to garner love from millions.
A bike bus is an organized way for students in a community to ride their bikes to school together.
Coach Balto leads the group, along with some parent volunteers, as the students cycle together in large numbers to reach school.
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The program is also good for the planet, as it aims to reduce the number of cars and buses on the road.
Initiated first on April 22, 2022, which is also Earth Day by Coach Balto, he told PEOPLE magazine, that he wished to make his “students active, reduce car trips of students being driven to the school, along with having fun on bikes.”
Coach Balto has been sharing videos of the students having fun riding bikes on TikTok, which has more than 7 million likes and 211,000 followers.
With this unique concept, he wants to replace school buses with bikes while also enjoying biking.
In a recent video that he’s shared with the caption “Be the #joy you want to see in the world,” students can be seen enjoying and bobbing their heads to the song “Yeah” by Usher.
With time, the number of bike bus participants has increased manyfold, with around 50 -150 participants and their parents also joining in.
He believes, that the greater the number of participants present in the bike bus, the safer it becomes as “there is a wonderful safety in numbers.”
Coach Balto’s young son, who’s just started kindergarten this year is also a participant of the bike bus. The videos spread joy as more and more people have started their bike bus programs.
According to Coach Balto, when there is a fun and active start to the day, the students perform well in the class as well. It’s a win-win from all possible angles!
