On Friday, 3 July, Parents, children and community organisers will gather in Barcelona to celebrate the launch of the Bike Bus Accelerator [BBA].
With support from Shimano and delivered by global NGO BYCS. BBA is a new programme helping people start, grow and sustain bike buses, so that a safe, fun ride to school becomes normal for more children across Europe.
Ties van Dijk, Advocacy Specialist at Shimano Europe, said:
“This movement belongs to the parents, teachers and children who ride every week – our role is the one we know best: being the part that helps all the other parts move together. A bicycle only works when every component does its job, and a bike bus is no different. We’re proud to support the programme to help grow, start and raise attention for bike buses across Europe.”
A bike bus is simple: children and parents ride to school together, on a set route, at a set time, picking up riders along the way. It turns the school run into the best part of the morning – and shows what’s possible when streets prioritise people. Most bike buses are run by volunteers, each having to solve similar problems from scratch. The Bike Bus Accelerator will aim to connect them, sharing knowledge, tools and financial support to existing and new Bike Buses, so the movement can scale.
The programme has six focus cities with different cycling challenges: Barcelona, Lisbon, Vienna, Glasgow, Utrecht and Copenhagen.
A Launch at the Grand Départ
The launch celebration takes place at a free family fan park beside Barcelona’s Arc de Triomf from 08:30 on Friday 3 July, the day before the Grand Départ of the Tour de France. Families are encouraged to ride to the event – together with neighbours, classmates and friends.
At the event, children will see the finale of a helmet design competition, with every young designer celebrated on stage and the winning design revealed as a bespoke helmet. The first 150 children attending will receive a free Lazer helmet, and all attendees will receive a goodie bag. Children and advocates will also sign a Children’s Manifesto to support bike buses and to call for safer streets for cycling to school. Attendance is free, with registration required via www.bikebusaccelerator.com.
Maud de Vries, CEO of BYCS, said:
“Bike buses are started by parents and PE-teachers, often with nothing more than a route map, a group chat and a lot of determination. We want to help more people do this by sharing expertise and helping kickstart new movements. Every child deserves a safe route to school, and families shouldn’t have to reinvent the wheel to make that happen. The Accelerator exists so that no one has to start completely from scratch – when we learn from each other, the whole movement moves faster.”
The Barcelona launch is the first of two landmark moments in 2026. In September, the movement will come together on a global scale, with bike buses around the world riding on the same day in a bid to set a new world record for the world’s biggest bike bus ever.
The Bike Bus Accelerator will also be launching a grant programme later in 2026, judged by a panel of experts, to help kickstart new bike buses and reduce barriers to running them for existing volunteers.
For more information and to register for the event on 3 July, please visit www.bikebusaccelerator.com
