From school buses to pedestrian-friendly streets: rethinking the way to school
Depending on where they live, children and teenagers may be able to walk to school in just a few minutes or spend about ten hours a week commuting. Thinking about these commutes is not just a matter of logistics and the environment, but also of equity.
Sylvain Wagnon, University of Montpellier
Every day, nearly 13 million students in France travel varying distances between their homes and their schools. Whether it takes a few minutes on foot or more than an hour by bus, this often-overlooked time shapes their daily routines, affects their sleep, and influences their academic success.
Long overlooked, this aspect of daily mobility is now receiving renewed attention. In September 2025, the French Agency for Ecological Transition (Ademe) published the first large-scale national study on the mobility of children and adolescents, including their commutes to school: school transportation is now a matter of public health, equity, and environmental sustainability.
School buses and regional disparities
School transportation has a long history. It has been in existence since the 1960s, when the first county-level services were established to serve remote middle and high schools. In 1963, there were approximately 4,000 school bus routes; ten years later, there were already more than 23,000, far exceeding simple population growth. This expansion was a response to the need for equal access to education in rural areas.
Since the 2017 reform, this responsibility has fallen to the regions. They organize transportation for more than 2 million students in non-urban areas, in addition to approximately 2 million students who use urban transit systems (buses, trams, and subways).
In total, nearly one-third of school-age children use public transportation every day to get to school. The current shortage of school bus drivers is undermining equal access to education, especially in rural areas that rely on this mode of transportation. It highlights a growing regional divide: while some students benefit from regular transportation, others face longer or disrupted commutes.
What are the best ways to get to school?
The 2025 ADEME study confirms the central role of the car in the commute between home and school: one-third of children use it every day, and this proportion rises to 54% in the overseas departments and regions (DROM).
The figures are similar to those reported in a 2020 study: walking accounts for 25% of all trips, ahead of urban public transportation (19%), school buses (18%), and bicycles (2%). While walking remains the dominant mode of transportation for short trips, its use declines as students get older.
However, these national averages mask significant local trends: in some cities, bicycle use is increasing significantly, driven by the creation of safe bike lanes. Furthermore, numerous initiatives are emerging to promote active commuting between home and school. The subject of several studies, the “walking bus”—supervised walking routes organized by parents, volunteers, or local authorities—requires organization and regulation, but is expected to yield tangible results in terms of students’ health.
Meanwhile, the “bike bus”—groups of children on bicycles accompanied by adults—has been a real success, as has the “horse bus,” a horse-drawn carriage being tested in some municipalities. These initiatives reflect a growing desire among local authorities and parents alike to rethink the school commute.
The geography of school commutes reveals significant disparities. In some rural counties, a middle school student may spend up to two hours a day commuting, compared to just a few minutes for a student in the city center.
In addition tothese regional disparities, there are social inequalities: the cost of public transportation passes can place a heavy burden on low-income families, despite regional or departmental subsidies. Some local governments offer free transportation, while others charge fees that vary based on income, which fuels a sense of injustice.
The ADEME study also highlights a decline in independence: the average age for a child’s first solo outing is now 11.6 years, compared to 10.6 years for their parents. Parental safety concerns partly explain this decline, with a marked difference based on gender. Girls are considered more vulnerable: 40% of parents believe they are more at risk of assault, which delays their independence.
The impact of travel time
While school transportation ensures access to education, it also takes a toll on daily life. In some areas, students may spend up to ten hours a week on a bus, reducing the time available for homework, leisure activities, or rest.
Students who spend more than an hour a day commuting sleep, on average, half an hour less than their classmates who live close to school. A survey of high school students revealed this correlation. School transportation is therefore not a neutral factor: it directly influences academic success and well-being.
A study of teenagers shows that long commutes not only disrupt sleep but also impair cognitive function, mental well-being, and academic performance.
“School streets”: laboratories for innovation
Inspired by the UK and Belgium, “school streets” have been gaining traction in France since 2019. The concept is simple: temporarily closing the street in front of a school to vehicle traffic during school drop-off and pick-up times. The observed benefits are numerous: a measurable reduction in air pollution, lower noise levels, an improved sense of safety, and a rise in active transportation.
In Paris, there are more than 300 traffic-calmed streets as of the start of the 2025 school year, covering nearly half of all elementary schools. The movement is now spreading to major cities, as well as to medium-sized towns and villages, which see it as a practical tool for making the commute to school safer and more pleasant, while also reducing air pollution. These measures also help foster children’s independence by allowing them to travel alone or with friends in a calmer, less stressful environment.
School streets provide an opportunity to test new ways of organizing public space, while encouraging children and families to take ownership of the street. They are not merely a technical solution, but also a social and political reflection on the role we wish to give children in the city.
Turning the commute to school into a learning opportunity
These initiatives encourage us to rethink school transportation—not as time wasted, but as a learning opportunity. Walking or biking to school promotes physical health and independence. Creating safe environments transforms the walk to school into a time for socializing among parents, adults, and children. In some schools, this is integrated into educational projects focused on sustainable mobility or learning about the local area.
School transportation is therefore much more than just a technical system: it shapes the daily lives of millions of students, highlights regional disparities, and directly influences educational success. Long overlooked, this aspect deserves to be recognized and reimagined. After all, the educational experience is not confined to the classroom; it begins during the commute and extends into children’s daily lives.
Sylvain Wagnon, Professor of Education, Faculty of Education, University of Montpellier
This article is republished from The Conversation under a Creative Commons license. Readthe original article.