MacKenzie Hardt, of Hardt Family Cyclery in Aurora, gives a few safety reminders to students before the group rides together as a “bike bus” to school.

For Denver mom Melissa Colonno, empowering her children to do their best at school begins with a cozy hat and a bicycle. “On these winter days,” she says, “they might not be in the mood to bundle up, get out the door, and bike to school, but as soon as we meet up with friends, they are energized and happy. It’s a way of life for us.” Her daughter, first grader Zoë Colonno, agrees: “It makes me feel vibrant.”

The Colonnos’ appreciation for cycling spurred them to form a “bike bus” last May with fellow families from Odyssey School of Denver in Park Hill. Parents and students meet at designated “stops” along either of two routes­—one starting in City Park and another from Central Park—to commute to school as a “bus,” or procession of bicycles. “There’s strength and safety in numbers,” Melissa Colonno says. “It’s a tiny form of activism: kids and families taking up some space on the street.

Nearly 50 parents and children participate in the Odyssey bike buses on fair-weather days. “With the bike bus, people see that this is feasible,” she explains. “I hand out florescent vests, and we take time to educate younger riders on the practical side of riding a bike.”

Other local schools have recently hopped, or cycled, onto the bike bus movement. “It’s becoming popular nationwide,” notes MacKenzie Hardt, owner of Hardt Family Cyclery in northwest Aurora. “Getting that time outside and the physical movement leads to students being more attentive in class, and they’re healthier.” Melissa Colonno concurs, “There’s a lot of data that shows that if kids arrive at school by walking or biking, that physical activity impacts academic success, behaviors, and general wellbeing.”

This spring, Hardt is working with parents from Westerly Creek Elementary to establish a bike bus at their Central Park school, and two years ago, he helped launch a bike bus at nearby William “Bill” Roberts K-8 School.

Each Wednesday, parents and students from William “Bill” Roberts K–8 School commute as a “bike bus” along the Greenway Trail.

The Bill Roberts bus kicked off after more than 200 students cycled to school on national Walk, Bike, & Roll to School Day in 2023. “We wanted to build on that momentum and had heard about bike buses,” recalls parent Katie Asher. She and Amelia Tranchina, also a Bill Roberts mom, asked Hardt for guidance. He mapped a route for their bike bus and provided a sponsorship from Hardt Family Cyclery for logistical costs. In October, the group, now with 15 to 20 regular riders, moved from riding monthly to weekly. In an act of support, Hardt joins them each Wednesday morning.

Bill Roberts parent Lauri Dolan grabs some donated coffee and doughnuts provided for bike bus participants as they wheel into school.

“I’m the sheepdog,” Hardt says. He steers his cargo bike between children and passing vehicles, hauls tools to repair in-route bike mishaps, and is known for connecting students without bicycles to donated options. He says, “Our goal is to get more and more neighborhood kids on bikes. A bike is transportation and freedom.”

Many bike bus participants love cycling with classmates. Edie O’Neill, fifth grader at Bill Roberts, says, “It’s better for the environment, and you can hang out with friends.” Adds Bill Roberts fourth grader Reba Shaffer, “I like that everybody is together.”

Asher’s favorite part of cycling to school with her children is getting out of the car and onto two wheels.

MacKenzie Hardt, first rider, and Katie Asher, to Hardt’s right, lead parents and students to school with their cargo bikes.

“We would get so dysregulated sitting in the car in the drop-off lane,” she says. “Some of our best conversations have come when we’re all on a bike.” For Tranchina, pedaling with her family “is worth it health-wise, environment-wise, and community-wise.”

Perhaps most crucially, “kids riding visibly and safely means fewer cars around the school,” Hardt says. “That’s safer for everyone.”

Front Porch photos by Christie Gosch