The Ferndale walking bus

Text 1: All aboard on foot, by Joanna Breck

An original contemporary blog.

Every school morning at eight, our walking bus sets off from the bottom of Ferndale Road with up to twenty children and three adult volunteers. The children walk in pairs between a “driver” at the front and a “conductor” at the back, and everyone wears a bright yellow vest, even the youngest. The route has six stops, each with a laminated timetable tied to a lamp post, so parents know exactly when to wait with their child. At the busy junction by the garage, the driver halts the line, counts the pairs aloud and only then presses the button for the crossing. Since September, eleven families have left the car at home, and the queue of engines outside the school has visibly shrunk.

Explain how the walking bus makes sure that every child is accounted for at the busy junction.