LOUISVILLE, Ky. — There is a new community-led effort to get Jefferson County students to class, as volunteers in Louisville have organized "bike buses" for children. 

Alisha Jones has been cycling for decades and said becoming a cyclist changed her life.

“Well, I started bicycling when I was a kid, of course," said Jones, leader of Duck Duck Goose Bike Bus. "I would bike for miles ... I wouldn't come back home unless it was to eat." 

Now, she’s biking with an even greater purpose, helping get Louisville students to the classroom on time. 

“We just wanted to do anything we could do to help the transportation and ... have a big party going to school,” Jones said.

Jones is leading the bike bus along a fixed route and schedule, with parents, students and volunteers following behind.

“All the volunteers will meet at a meeting spot, and we will bike over to our first bike bus and get our first kid," she said. "We'll probably bike about a mile and a half to our next bike bus stop, and then once we pick them up … we will be right off to school." 

Jones and about 10 others created Duck Duck Goose Bike Bus. She came up with the idea after JCPS cut transportation for most traditional and magnet schools, affecting about 14,000 students.

“You won't have to battle the car rider line if you're in the bike bus," Jones said. "It's very eco-friendly; it helps the planet." 

Right now, the bike bus goes to Lincoln and Hawthorne Elementary schools every other Friday.

“We may holler out things; we may have a sing-along,” she said.

She said she hopes it will grow to every Friday and more volunteers participate. Falls City Community Bike Works is giving away free bikes and helmets to children under 10 participating in Duck Duck Goose Bike Bus, and families can sign up for a bike bus on its website. 

The Jefferson County School Board could vote Sept.  3, 2024, on which magnet and traditional schools are getting busing restored.