Story by Ella Apisakkul
Staff Writer

Photo by Theo Thompson
Staff Videographer

The South Pasadena bike bus is an organization that provides an accessible and fun alternative method for elementary school students in the district to get to school. 

In general, a bike bus is a term for a group of people who cycle together on a set route, following a set timetable for a purpose other than athletics. In South Pasadena, it refers to a group of children and chaperones riding bikes together to either Arroyo Vista or Marengo. 

The South Pas bike bus takes two routes to Arroyo Vista: one called AV North, the very first route established by the South Pas bike bus that starts at Hermosa Street and Grand Avenue, and the AV East route, which starts at the public library. The two routes meet each other on El Centro Street. In addition, there are three routes to Marengo, Marengo South on Maple Street and LaFrance Avenue, North on Hope Street and Stratford Avenue, and West on Diamond Avenue and Bank Street. 

The bike bus aims to make “biking to school feel normal and safe, like a safe option for families, not just something that requires extra effort…[giving] everyone a sense of community,” bike bus founder Andrea Knopf said. She feels that when kids drive to school in a car, they lose the chance to appreciate the beauty of the South Pasadena community, and that biking can be an equally safe and convenient method of transportation when done in a group. 

Safety is a core value of the bus’s rides, as they want to demonstrate to parents that the bike bus should be accepted as an alternative route to school just as much as driving or walking. “For our bike bus at Arroyo Vista, we have a pledge, it’s called the bike bus pledge. We select any volunteer or child to recite the bike bus pledge. It says, “‘I will always wear my helmet. I will ride in a straight line. I will listen for directions, and I will enjoy the ride,’” Knopf said. 

In addition to the bike bus pledge, parent participation helps to reinforce the bus’s safety, with parent riders cycling on the outside of the pack to make sure that students ride in a straight line. The bike bus makes sure to maintain a slow pace in order for them to avoid collisions and make sure that they are seen by oncoming cars. If students are caught swerving or riding dangerously, they are pulled aside and told to correct their behavior. 

Though safety rules are heavily enforced during bike bus trips, Knopf makes sure to keep the rides fun as well. “The music is the best part,” Knopf said. “My husband and I make the playlist the night before, and we get really excited. We play everything from K-pop – the kids love KATSEYE – to Dolly Parton the week that she passed… We mix it up so both generations can enjoy it.” The bike bus’s music sets a lively tone for the group’s trips, adding an extra factor to both the students’ and parents’ enthusiasm to ride with the bus. 

A recent issue that the bike bus has faced has been concerning the bike lanes on Fremont Street.  “They wanted to put bike lanes, but then they wanted to take them out. We just want a safer, better infrastructure, more awareness for drivers, and showing to families that it’s okay to bike, especially in a bike bus, because it’s really safe, having a pack in numbers,” Knopf said. 

However, she is confident that the bike bus is continuing to push for more bike-friendly streets. “A big movement for us… was three years ago, [when] they were about to take the bike lanes away from Grand Avenue, and that was one of our only bike routes at the time. All our kids came to City Council, ranging from 5-year-olds to 10-year-olds all speaking up about why bike lanes were necessary,” Knopf said.  

The bike bus has opened opportunities for elementary school students to begin practicing advocacy for the bike lanes that they want to see in their streets, giving them a chance to make a difference in their community.  “[When they were about to take the bike lanes away, the kids] showed up at every City Council meeting,” Knopf said. 

At first, the bike bus was a small movement with only a few parents involved and was not intended to be an organized group, despite its large current size. “My son was in kindergarten and my husband is an avid cyclist, and we were just like, ‘Let’s just ride to school’,” Knopf said. “My son’s now in fifth grade, now it’s flourished into this bigger movement. Really, it was just something that we did for fun, when we said, ‘Hey, why don’t we just find some other parents that want to do the same thing as us?”

Knopf and her husband found other parents who cycled to their son’s school, and from there, the bike bus slowly began to grow into a group of chaperones with over 100 students of all elementary school grades, from TK to 5th grade. “The bike bus was really meant for us to give families another option to go down… I think everyone’s just so focused on getting to and from that we kind of forget, hey, we live in this amazing community, let’s open our eyes, and you can really see the joy with all of the kids [riding],” Knopf said. 

Though the bus does not currently have any plans for expansion, they are hopeful to invite special guests, such as teachers from the schools they travel to, on their rides. A Monterey Hills route is not currently in development due to the more difficult nature of the terrain leading up to the school, but Knopf is open to establishing one in the future. 

However, the local government does not provide financial support for the bike bus, meaning that it relies completely on the funding of the parents that participate in it. In order to raise money for necessities as part of the bike bus, such as the bike racks built at the elementary schools they travel to, the bike bus utilizes donations and events that raise awareness and opportunities for fundraising. A recent example includes the Pedalpalooza held at Arroyo Vista on October 24, which was a community event hosted by the bike bus that included free bike course lessons, giveaways, and a silent auction. 

In the future, the bike bus holds promise for more growth with continued support from the community. They want to bring a fun new method of traveling to school to even more local elementary school students. 

“It’s really been wonderful, because I think it gives the kids a sense of community, and there’s just so much joy seeing our kids take ownership of their own morning. They’re moving, they get exercise, they’re building confidence, and everyone’s just starting their day with a huge smile and music,” Knopf said.