Evaluation of a walking school bus service as an intervention for a modal shift at a primary school in Spain

In recent decades, the proportion of students using motorized transportation to school has increased while active transportation has decreased. The walking school bus is one of the most used interventions aiming to reduce problems resulting from this trend. However, no studies have analysed the influence of a WSB service provided by professional monitors on a shift in modes of transportation. This study investigated a pioneer daily walking school bus service guided by paid staff implemented at a primary school in Cordoba, Spain. A mobile app is used to register the children's participation and to provide the parents with real-time information on the group's location and arrival at the destination. Collected data, including the families' responses to a questionnaire were used to assess participation and the shift in modes of transportation. During the pilot study, a high recurrence in the children's participation was found and 43.7% of the participants had completely or partially changed transportation modes. The families reported fewer problems in the children's daily school travel organization and an improvement in their pedestrian safety behaviours. Further, 92.1% of the participating families had less concern about their children's autonomous walking. Results indicate that a walking school bus service guided by paid monitors can be an effective way to increase active travel to school, especially for children who live further from it. The use of the mobile app can reduce parents' concerns and facilitate the management and evaluation of the method. Implications are discussed for future Active Travel to School interventions that focus on changes in modes of transportation.