Reflections on the Global Bike Bus Summit 2025
By way of introduction: earlier in April, Bike Worcester organised and hosted the 3rd Global Bike Bus Summit. Visitors from all over the world came to Worcester to connect, share ideas and inspirations and plan for the future. It was absolutely epic - so much fun and a real pleasure to be part of such a fantastic event. You can see more about what happened at the Summit on our Instagram page.
Somehow, I managed to wrangle a role as ‘Head of Logistics’, in charge of co-ordinating and directing the event which, for many months, existed only as an idea in my head. It’s hard to synthesise everything I think and feel, but I’ve tried to offer some of my more useful reflections…
Global Bike Bus Summit 2025, Worcester UK
It was a privilege to organise
I’m so proud to be a part of the Global Bike Bus community - it’s so powerful and impactful to join together with leaders from all over the World, share common experiences, celebrate successes and support each other in achieving more. Every single person who is bold (and vulnerable) to create space for others to join in the Bike Bus can count themselves as a leader, and it was very very special to be in the company of such dynamism and opportunity.
Having the Summit held in Worcester, with so many amazing visitors, was a genuine honour. I’m so grateful to everyone who was able to join us in April and to provide the atmosphere and energy that created an incredible event. It was fun, inspiring, motivational, moving - everything I’d hoped it would be and more.
Bike Worcester rocks
A small number of the many amazing Bike Worcester volunteers
The Bike Worcester team is absolutely incredible. Words cannot describe what it feels like to co-ordinate a team of so many dedicated, smart, talented, wonderful people. The best I can do is say it was like having super powers.
A recurring theme from participants was: “How does Bike Worcester do this? What’s your secret sauce?” The answer (if there is one) is for another blog, but the incredulous reactions from visitors affirmed and reinforced what I’ve known along: Bike Worcester is an awesome group of people, being the change we want to see and making Worcester (and the World?) a better place to live.
We are still in the foothills of the Bike Bus movement
The Global Bike Bus movement is still in its infancy - even pre-2023, and then to Barcelona, Frankfurt and now Worcester in 2025, the progress is huge but there is so much opportunity ahead of us. The Global community has the passion, the skills and the motivation to push for real change. Our challenge is to deliver against that potential.
I know we’re still at the beginning because there are more questions than answers for me right now:
How do we enable participants to grow into advocates for better infrastructure? We have amazing communities of parents and children who participate in Bike Buses and other rides, and there’s a huge opportunity to mobilise these communities to effectively demand change.
How can we make the Global movement more sustainable? Bike Buses aren’t new, and I have a worry that we have a finite amount of time to create sustainability that doesn’t rely on parents solving their school run and can become more timeless and less reliant on key personalities (side note: Sam Balto is amazing)
How does a Global community best collaborate and organise? I think there is an opportunity to create structure that leverages our Global network to enable local changes, and that needs a set of objectives, and a means to collaborate and organise. A bit like when we created the Barcelona Declaration, but on a bigger scale.
Thinking about the foothills of the Bike Bus movement brings me to what’s next (for Bike Worcester, and also for the Global Movement).
What’s next?
Lisbon 2026
The next Global Bike Bus Summit is going to be in Lisbon in March or April 2026. We’re already planning on the Bike Worcester contingent (bike tour? road trip?).
It was brilliant to have the Lisbon team run the ‘Building Scale’ session in Worcester, and if that session is anything to go by, the next Summit is going to be INCREDIBLE. Recap of their session is here. If you have ideas, suggestions or requests, send them to info@bikeworcester.org.uk and we will make sure it gets to Team Lisbon.
Team Lisbon (with some Worcester and Barcelona folks too)
More Bike Buses in Worcester and beyond
Even in the two weeks since the Summit, I already know of a handful of new Bike Buses that have started, or are starting. We have a new route in Worcester starting next week, and I’m crediting the energy to the awesome impact of the Summit. It’s time to capture and harness that energy to make the school run healthier and build resilient communities through active travel.
Let’s get organised
Do you want to be part of a working group aimed at organising the Global movement? I’m happy to convene it: email rob@bikeworcester.org.uk to register your interest.
Finally…
A huge thank you to everyone who contributed to the success of the Global Bike Bus Summit 2025 - there are too many to mention, but I’m hugely grateful for all of the support. I will give a special mention to the wonderful Katie Collier - thank you for enabling my weirdness. Onwards!
The wonderful Katie Collier (with her sidekick)
