Two mums in Scotland’s fastest-growing town have established what is thought to be Scotland’s biggest “bike bus”, which offers active and safe travel to school for 70 people each week.

Sarah Jurgenson and Sarah Manning have successfully run since April the two-wheeled convoy each Friday through Winchburgh, helping 30-40 children and around 30 parents make their way to both Winchburgh Primary School and Hawkhill Primary School, with pupils at the latter enjoying new off-road routes as part of the sustainable infrastructure being rolled out in the town. It is the first Bike Bus in West Lothian.

Sarah Jugenson, who moved to the West Lothian community 11 years ago, starts the ride from her home, collecting dozens of pupils and their parents on a route extending to well over a mile to either school.

“My friend, also Sarah [Manning], heard of this bike bus idea, we looked at a couple of different routes and got a couple of families to try it with us,” explained Sarah Jurgenson, who also runs Winchburgh Sport and Activity Club. “After we posted it on Instagram, Sustrans got in touch with us to offer support, helping us plot a route and giving advice on how to run it.

“We now have around 70 people on each Friday ride, around 30 children who each bring an adult, and P6-7 pupils who can come on their own.”

Hamish Belding, FRideDays Bike Bus Project Coordinator at Sustrans who yesterday [Friday 26 September] joined the Winchburgh Bike Bus group on their morning commute, said: “Having consistent levels with 60-70 participants is at the higher end of the scale. It could be fair to say that Winchburgh Bike Bus is one of the bigger Bike Buses in Scotland – potentially on par with other successful and well-known Bike Buses such as Shawlands Bike Bus in Glasgow.

Winchburgh’s Bike Bus has been popular from the outset. Less than 10 per cent of Bike Bus organisers reported starting a Bike Bus with more than 55 passengers but added that, as they became more established, they experienced an increase in participation – with 24 per cent of Bike Buses having 55 passengers or more. The majority [71 per cent] of Bike Buses reported that the average participation levels were between 10-54 passengers.

In addition to the community, social and behaviour-change benefits brought by the Bike Bus, parents and teachers have noticed a positive change in young participants’ readiness to learn at the start of the day, and pupils and parents are embracing safely travelling home independently using the cycle paths that have been created as part of the Winchburgh masterplan.

Ian Harvey, Head Teacher at Winchburgh Primary School, said: “The Bike Bus is an initiative that is run by parents here in Winchburgh, part of the national FRideDays Bike Bus by Sustrans, to encourage safe, sustainable and social transport to school.

“It’s great to see so many of our pupils and parents embracing the Bike Bus before school every Friday – we’ve found the pupils arrive feeling very happy after their journey and ready for the day ahead. It provides a good opportunity for pupils from different year groups to socialise with each other, while benefitting from fresh air and exercise before the school day begins.”

Winchburgh Developments Ltd, the company behind the development of the town, which is one of the most ambitious placemaking projects in the UK, donated signage and high-visibility clothing to help aid the safety of Bike Bus riders.

Penny Lochhead, Community, Sport and Greenspace Manager for Winchburgh Developments, said: “We’re delighted to support such an excellent active travel initiative, led by the community and well-used by families across Winchburgh. The benefits are numerous and we congratulate Sarah Jurgenson and Sarah Manning for their enterprise and continuing efforts.”