RideScore
The RideScore program enables our children and young people to scoot and ride a bike to school more often and makes our communities safer, healthier places for everyone.
RideScore in 2024
A first of its kind in Australia, the RideScore Active Schools Program (RideScore) has significantly boosted the number of children scooting and riding to school. An evaluation of the program, conducted by Deakin University to be launched in Melbourne on 27 November 2024, revealed how successful the program has been!
The Evaluation Report and outcomes will be posted here as soon as they are officially launched in conjunction with the Cycling Luminaries Awards at the Deakin Downtown campus.
Stay tuned for the report here soon!
We Ride Australia and the Sunshine Coast Council, supported by the Australian and Queensland Governments with Stockland, launched an Australian first ride-to-school program – RideScore – in 2019.
WATCH THE VIDEO!
RideScore uses technology to direct message parents when their children have arrived safely at school.
The Australian first program uses:
- Smart beacons to alert parents automatically when their child arrives at school
- Advanced use of mapping to identify safe routes to school
- App-based information and simplified registration technology
- Bicycle education, and
- Encouragement awards for students who ride and scoot to school.
The program has been shown to significantly boost the numbers of children scooting and riding to school
as it motivates and encourages children to reach milestones in the number of times they ride to school and provides parents with peace of mind about the whereabouts of their children by notifying them on arrival and departure to and from school.
The Australian Government supported the initiative as part of its national Move It AUS – Participation Grant Program. The RideScore program also received support from the Queensland Government and Stockland. The University of Canberra’s Health Research Institute and Deakin University have undertaken an evaluation and data analysis of the program (due for release Q4 of 2024).
The RideScore program has undergone a full evaluation to enable it to be rolled out more broadly in the future.
Visit our Support RideScore – Safe Routes to School page to find out how you can do more if you would like to see happier, healthier kids riding or walking safely to school.
Features & benefits:
- Real-time messaging tells parents when child arrives and leaves school
- Trips logged automatically to track milestones and provide incentives to students
- Simplified app-based registration and information management for parents
- Maps of the local safe routes to school for all students
- Bicycle education
- Annual events program including special challenge events, inter-class and inter-school competitions and rewards
- Increase in student physical activity
- Improved road safety awareness,
- Reduction in traffic congestion around schools.
To view the full media release from Thursday 21st November 2019, please read the latest news.
Visit the RideScore website.
Visit the Australian Government’s website to find out more about the Move It AUS Participation Grant.
Why RideScore? We have stopped moving!
- Australian children are not physically active enough to ensure their own long-term health with nearly 71% of those aged 5 – 11 years and 91.5% of young people aged 12 – 17 years not meeting recommended levels of physical activity.
- Levels of physical activity in Australia have declined dramatically in the last 30 years.
- Physical activity ‘habits’ formed as children form the building blocks for future health throughout adolescence and adulthood.
Find out more about the history of RideScore.