Active school transport options
Travel to school on foot, by bike, scooter, bus or carpooling for a fun way to start your day.
Council is dedicated to promoting active school transport initiatives that are designed to reduce private vehicle usage, making school zones safer, healthier, less congested and more sustainable.
Over the past 40 years, the number of students walking and riding to school in Queensland has significantly declined. This shift has led to increased traffic congestion and broader social and health impacts on communities and student wellbeing.
You can make a difference - by choosing to leave the car at home just one day a week, you can reduce your household’s greenhouse gas emissions from private vehicle use by up to 20 per cent. It also helps ease traffic congestion around schools, creating a safer environment for all road users.
Happy healthy children - school-aged children (5 to 17 years) need 60 minutes of physical activity daily to maintain a healthy lifestyle. Walking, riding, or scooting to and from school are excellent ways for students to meet their daily exercise needs while building lifelong healthy habits and improving their wellbeing.
Encourage your child to take up active travel—every step, ride, or shared journey contributes to a healthier and more sustainable future for our community.
Events
Participating in events like National Ride2School Day and National Walk Safely to School Day, schools across the Sunshine Coast can foster active habits, reduce traffic congestion and contribute to a cleaner environment.
With Council support, schools are encouraged to promote active travel through fun activities and community involvement, building a strong foundation for lifelong healthy travel behaviours.
National Ride2School Day, 21 March 2025
National Ride2School Day, 21 March 2025
Participating in National Ride2School Day is a fantastic way to celebrate riding and active travel. Schools can join the excitement of National Ride2School Day by organising bike-friendly events such as a group ride, hosting bike safety workshops, or providing incentives for students who ride on the day.
Council will be supporting schools in 2025 by providing prize incentives to encourage student participation.
Bicycle Network provides a number of great resources, such as poster templates and in-class activity sheets. Please visit National Ride2School Day | Bicycle Network for more information on the national event.
National Walk Safely to School Day, May 2025
National Walk Safely to School Day, May 2025
Held in May, National Walk Safely to School Day encourages children to enjoy the benefits of walking by providing a structured opportunity to practice pedestrian skills, build independence and stay active. Schools can get involved by hosting walking events such as a “walking bus” to school and offering incentives for those who walk on the day.
Walking to school regularly is beneficial to children's health and wellbeing. It helps them to be more physically active, independent and confident. It also helps to reduce traffic problems around schools and teaches children about road safety.
National Walk Safely to School Day is a timely reminder to talk to your child about walking to school and how to cross the road safely by identifying and choosing the safest places to cross the road on their way to and from school. It is also important to talk about the dangers of not paying attention and being distracted with walking across or near the roads and driveways.
This event is run by the Pedestrian Council of Australia. Please visit www.walk.com.au for event posters and in-class activities. Don’t forget to get in early and order your free tattoos in time for the event.
If you would like to get a head start on planning National Ride2School Day or National Walk Safely to School Day 2025 at your school, please email [email protected] or contact Council.
RideScore Active Schools
The RideScore Active Schools Program encourages children to choose active, sustainable ways to travel to and from school. By promoting bike riding, scooting and skating, RideScore helps students stay active while reducing traffic congestion and emissions around schools.
The program makes active travel fun by rewarding students for their efforts and provides parents peace of mind that their child has arrived safely through real-time notifications.
2024 Program snapshot as of 28 November 2024
- 11 schools
- 2,409 students registered on the program
- 203,102 trips completed
- 349,851, kms travelled
- 58 tonnes of Co2 saved.
How it Works
How it Works
The RideScore program is guided by the following process:
Register – The voluntary program encourages parents of students at participating schools to sign their child up to the program online and download the app. Students are then sent a welcome pack and beacon to attach to their bike or scooter. The parent registers the beacon to their account on the app. The student is ready to start riding!
Notify – The students RideScore beacon is detected by a Bluetooth reader when their bike or scooter enters the school grounds. Parents receive real-time notifications when their child arrives or leaves via their smartphone app. The app does not track the students’ location.
Reward – Students earn points for each active trip, redeemable for rewards and recognition, keeping the focus on positive travel behaviour. The daily points are rewarded through the app on the students arrival at school. Rewards are distributed via the school on a weekly basis. Students are rewarded points for the following milestones.
Get Involved
Get Involved
Schools
There is currently a waiting list for new schools to be added to the program. Schools can register their interest to become part of the program by emailing [email protected]
Each school is assessed against the following criteria to assure the program’s success:
- Topography
- Number of students located within a safe riding distance
- Existing riding infrastructure
- Willingness of the school and P&C to support the program and its events throughout the year.
Additional to the rewards program, schools will be required to participate in a safe school's infrastructure review. This review will identify potential improvements to footpaths and crossings to ensure the best outcomes for the program.
Participating schools
- Baringa State Primary School
- Brightwater State School
- Buddina State School
- Caloundra State School
- Chancellor State College
- Coolum State School
- Meridan State College
- Nirimba State Primary School
- Palmview State Primary School
- Peregian Springs State School
- Talara Primary College
Parents and students
Parents can easily register their children who attend a participating school at Register - RideScore Active Schools.
2025 Events Calendar
2025 Events Calendar
Term 1
- 25 March - National Ride2School Day
Term 2
- May – National Walk Safely to School Day
Term 3
- August – Interschool challenge: This challenge aims to boost the occurrence of students riding to school over a two-week period by rewarding participants with double points to help them reach their next reward milestone.
Term 4
- End of year leaderboard winners announced for each school at the end of term.
Year 4 Bike Skills - each school will participate in the bike skills session at a time convenient for the school.
Useful articles
Useful articles
Council partnered with We Ride Australia to trial the RideScore program in nine Sunshine Coast schools. We would like to thank the Federal Government’s Move it AUS program, the Queensland Government and Stockland for their funding and support for the pilot program. The ongoing implementation of the RideScore program is proudly funded by Council’s Transport Levy.
We’re here to help.
If you have another great idea to encourage active school travel, please contact the ThinkChange team at [email protected]
Below are some useful resources to get you started.
Catching the school bus - There are several school bus providers on the Sunshine Coast. For information on how and where to catch the school bus, contact Buslink on 5476 6622 or visit Buslink. For TransLink services, visit TransLink or call 13 12 30 anytime.
The Department of Transport and Main Roads offer a School Transport Assistance Scheme (STAS) to provide help with school transport costs for eligible families. For information relating to the STAS visit Department of Transport and Main Roads.
Students attending non-state schools may be eligible for assistance under the Non-Government Schools Transport Assistance Scheme. For more information visit the Non State Schools Transport Assistance Scheme website or phone (07) 3336 9192.
If your children are using the bus services provided, please ensure that they are familiar with the code of conduct.
Riding and walking to school
- Bicycle Network, Get ready to ride information and how to videos on the parent portal
- Sunshine Coast Council, Cycling with your child - try the route[198KB]
- Sunshine Coast Council, How to be a safe pathway user
- Sunshine Coast Council, Safe riding and scooting
- Sunshine Coast Council, Walking to School
Carpool to school - Sunshine Coast Council website How to carpool.