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Active Transport
Active transport or active commuting refers to the use of walking, 
biking, or other human-powered methods (e.g., skateboarding). It includes 
using public transportation or “walking school buses,” or being driven to 
a point closer to but not at school from which students walk the remainder 
of the way. Active transport equates to moderate-intensity physical activity, 
which, as discussed in earlier chapters, provides crucial health benefits. In 
light of these benefits, the CDC has launched programs to encourage par-
ents to walk their children to school.
Active commuting has been proposed as an ideal low-cost strategy to 
increase physical activity within the general population and can account 
for one-quarter of an individual’s recommended total daily steps (Whitt et 
al., 2004). Studies have found that active transport provides children with 
physical activity (Tudor-Locke et al., 2002) and increased energy expendi-
ture (Tudor-Locke et al., 2003). Bassett and colleagues (2013) suggest that 
active transport to and from school contributes on average 16 minutes of 
vigorous- or moderate-intensity physical activity for youth. These benefits, 
together with concern about increased traffic congestion and air pollution, 
have led to growing interest in the use of active transport by youth to get to 
and from school (Kahlmeier et al., 2010). In addition, it has been suggested 

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Educating the Student Body: Taking Physical Activity and Physical Education to School
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