Plan your route for your cycle bus
The first step is to plan your route. You’ll need to consider the following factors:
- Distance - approximately 2km in length
- Topography - relatively flat roads are most suitable
- Catchment - are your stops located near to housing estates or other high populated areas?
- Timing - arrival time at schools
- Levels of traffic along the route
Set up a meeting with important stakeholders
It’s essential that all stakeholders play a part in this project and you must make sure that they understand their responsibilities. The best way to start this is by organising with the school and parents.
School Management and Staff
You will need to liaise with the school to ensure you have a point of contact within the school. Their role is to work in tandem with the Cycle Bus planning team to ensure the needs and concerns of the school and children are met. The point of contact can then promote the project in the school and circulate sign-up forms.
Communicate with parents to make them aware of the new Cycle Bus. It’s a good idea to get the schools to circulate an email containing all the information pertaining to the Cycle Bus. Parents can also give you feedback on your project and help you improve your route to suit the needs of the students.
Participating students should be briefed on the procedures of the Cycle Bus when possible before the journey begins. Children joining along the route for the first time should be guided and supported by the marshals to the rear of the convoy.
When on the road, make sure you consider the following factors:
- Many children have not cycled on the road before joining the Cycle Bus, haven’t cycled in a long time or have low levels of fitness. Do your best to support these children through guidance, praise and encouragement.
- Show them how to choose an appropriate gear for the incline.
- Remind them to leave a safe space between them and the person in front of them.
- Remind them to keep both their hands on the handlebars.
The local green schools programme or any travel schemes might be useful to contact as they can provide support for your Cycle Bus.
Facilitate the signup of students and create a committed pool of marshals
As mentioned in the previous step, you can get your point of contact in the school to help circulate sign-up forms. The liaison can hold on to these forms in a secure place and act as the point of contact for the students in the school.
For your Cycle Bus trips, you will need a reliable pool of at least 15 Marshals. We recommend that you have at least 4 Marshals per trip with 1 more on standby in case of emergency. When reaching out for volunteers, consider parents and teachers of the schools. It’s also a good idea to contact cycling organisations and local cycle shops to help recruit volunteers. Then take the newly recruited volunteers’ phone numbers and email addresses and add them to your contact groups. Doing a rota system will help ensure that marshals are always available. The full guide to marshal organisation can be found here. Children under the age of 8 need to be accompanied by a parent.
Before you get on the road, there is some essential equipment to ensure the safety of everyone in the Cycle Bus.
Make sure all of the students in the Cycle Bus have the following equipment.
- An appropriately sized bike in good working order
- Front and rear lights
- Wet gear
- Cycling helmet
The marshaling group have the following mandatory equipment:
- Spare tubes
- Simple mechanical set
- First aid kit
- Front and rear lights on each marshal’s bike
All members of the Cycle Bus will need to wear a hi-vis jacket.
We recommend the purchase of cameras for the front and rear marshals at a minimum to help document any incidents that might occur.
Launch and communicate.
Your Cycle Bus is now ready to launch!
Now it is important to keep communication with all stakeholders - the school, students and marshals.
Form a group-chat for communication with the marshals and keep the school informed on possible news such as cancellations of Cycle Bus.
Keep the community informed and engaged in your new project by setting up social media accounts.
Mpango wa njia ya baiskeli yako: Hatua ya kwanza ni kupanga njia yako. Unahitaji kuzingatia mambo yafuatayo: - Umbali - urefu wa karibu kilomita 2 - Topografia - barabara za gorofa ni sahihi zaidi - Mkusanyiko - je, vituo vyako viko karibu na maeneo ya makazi au maeneo mengine yenye watu wengi? - Wakati - wakati wa kuwasili shule - viwango vya trafiki kando ya njia Kuanzisha mkutano na wadau muhimu Ni muhimu kwamba wadau wote kucheza sehemu katika mradi huu na lazima kuhakikisha kwamba wanaelewa majukumu yao. Njia bora ya kuanza hii ni kwa kuandaa na shule na wazazi. Usimamizi wa Shule na Wafanyakazi Unahitaji kuwasiliana na shule ili kuhakikisha una uhakika wa mawasiliano ndani ya shule. Kazi yao ni kufanya kazi pamoja na timu ya mipango ya Baiskeli ya Baiskeli ili kuhakikisha mahitaji na wasiwasi wa shule na watoto wanakutana. Kituo cha mawasiliano inaweza kisha kukuza mradi katika shule na kusambaza fomu za kujiandikisha. Wasiliana na wazazi ili kuwafanya wawe na ufahamu wa Basi jipya la Baiskeli. Ni wazo nzuri kupata shule kusambaza barua pepe yenye habari zote zinazohusiana na Baiskeli Bus. Wazazi wanaweza pia kukupa maoni juu ya mradi wako na kukusaidia kuboresha njia yako ili kukidhi mahitaji ya wanafunzi. Wanafunzi wanaoshiriki wanapaswa kuelezwa juu ya taratibu za Baiskeli ya Baiskeli ikiwezekana kabla ya safari kuanza. Watoto wanaojumuisha kwenye njia kwa mara ya kwanza wanapaswa kuongozwa na kuungwa mkono na maofisa wa nyuma wa msafara. Wakati juu ya barabara, kuhakikisha kuzingatia mambo yafuatayo: - Watoto wengi hawajaendesha baiskeli barabarani kabla ya kujiunga na Baiskeli Bus, hawajaendesha baiskeli kwa muda mrefu au kuwa na viwango vya chini ya fitness. Fanya yote uwezayo kuunga mkono watoto hawa kwa kuwaongoza, kuwapongeza na kuwatia moyo. - Waonyeshe jinsi ya kuchagua gia inayofaa kwa mwinuko. - Wakumbushe kuacha nafasi salama kati yao na mtu aliye mbele yao. - Wakumbushe kuweka mikono yao yote miwili juu ya steering wheel. Programu ya shule za kijani ya eneo lako au mipango yoyote ya kusafiri inaweza kuwa na manufaa ya kuwasiliana nao kwani wanaweza kutoa msaada kwa basi lako la baiskeli. Kuwezesha usajili wa wanafunzi na kuunda dimbwi la marshals kama ilivyoelezwa katika hatua ya awali, unaweza kupata hatua yako ya kuwasiliana katika shule kusaidia kusambaza fomu za usajili. Mshirika anaweza kuweka fomu hizi mahali salama na kutenda kama hatua ya kuwasiliana kwa wanafunzi katika shule. Kwa safari yako ya baiskeli, unahitaji kikundi cha angalau watu 15 wa kuaminika. Tunapendekeza kuwa na angalau 4 Marshals kwa kila safari na 1 zaidi juu ya kusubiri katika kesi ya dharura. Unapotafuta wajitoleaji, fikiria wazazi na walimu wa shule. Pia ni wazo nzuri kuwasiliana na mashirika ya baiskeli na maduka ya baiskeli ya mitaa kusaidia kuajiri wajitoleaji. Kisha chukua nambari za simu na anwani za barua pepe za wajitoleaji waliochaguliwa hivi karibuni na uweke katika vikundi vyako vya mawasiliano. Kufanya mfumo wa mzunguko kutasaidia kuhakikisha kwamba maofisa wa polisi wanapatikana daima. Mwongozo kamili wa shirika la marshal unaweza kupatikana hapa. Watoto chini ya umri wa miaka 8 lazima wawe na mzazi. Kabla ya kuingia kwenye barabara, kuna vifaa muhimu ili kuhakikisha usalama wa kila mtu katika Baiskeli ya Baiskeli. Hakikisha wanafunzi wote katika basi la baiskeli wana vifaa vifuatavyo. - Baiskeli ya ukubwa unaofaa katika hali nzuri ya kazi - Taa za mbele na za nyuma - Vifaa vya mvua - Kofia ya baiskeli Kikundi cha marshaling kina vifaa vifuatavyo vya lazima: - Mabomba ya ziada - Seti rahisi ya mitambo - Kit ya matibabu ya kwanza - Taa za mbele na za nyuma kwenye kila baiskeli ya marshal. Tunapendekeza kununua kamera kwa ajili ya mbele na nyuma marshals angalau kusaidia kumbukumbu matukio yoyote ambayo inaweza kutokea. Anza na kuwasiliana. Basi lako la Baiskeli sasa liko tayari kuanzishwa! Sasa ni muhimu kudumisha mawasiliano na wadau wote - shule, wanafunzi na maofisa. Fanya mazungumzo ya kikundi kwa ajili ya mawasiliano na maofisa na kuweka shule taarifa juu ya habari iwezekanavyo kama vile kufutwa kwa Baiskeli Bus. Weka jamii katika hali ya habari na kushiriki katika mradi wako mpya kwa kuanzisha akaunti za mitandao ya kijamii.