Dutch Kids Pedal Their Own Bus To School | Co.Exist: World changing ideas and innovation.
In the Netherlands, bikes abound. And now, they even take kids to school. Behold, the bicycle school bus.
The Dutch are bicycle fanatics. Almost half of daily travel in the Netherlands is by bicycle, while the country’s bike fleet comfortably outnumbers its 16 million people. Devotees of the national obsession have taken the next logical step by launching what is likely the first bicycle school bus.
Built by Tolkamp Metaalspecials, and sold by the De Cafe Racer company, the bicycle school bus (BCO in Dutch) is powered entirely by children and the one adult driver (although there is an electric motor for tough hills). Its simple design has eight sets of pedals for the kids (ages 4 to 12), a driver seat for the adult, and three bench seats for freeloaders. The top speed is about 10 miles per hour, and features a sound system and canvas awning to ward off rainy days.
Read the full story here.
Now that’s something that needs to be copied here in the US!
Thanks to Betty of the Four-Blue-Hills Blog for drawing my attention to this innovation.
Related articles
- School Bus Bicycle (neatorama.com)
- The pedal-powered yellow school bus (eta.co.uk)
- Dutch School Bus is a Bicycle Built for Ten (yesmagazine.org)
- New ideas for a bicycle planet (working) (energybulletin.net)
- 4 New Ideas for a Bicycle Planet (yesmagazine.org)
- How the Dutch got their bike on (mnn.com)
Pit,
Sadly, if this were done in America, there would be lawsuits demanding more bench seats for freeloaders. That is what our over-the-top welfare state has produced.
Don
Hi Don,
I don’t think it would be those lawsuits that would kill such a project here. I think it would be the “automobile-above-all” attitude.
Take care, and safe bicycling,
Pit