From a few to more than 350, children and parents ride together to school as a 'bike bus'

MONTCLAIR, New Jersey (AP) — On a sunny fall morning, children wearing helmets and backpacks gathered with their parents in Montclair, New Jersey, for a group bicycle ride to two local elementary schools. Volunteers in orange safety vests made sure everyone assembled in a neighborhood shopping area was ready before the riders set off on their 5-mile “bike bus” route.

Every few blocks, more adults and kids on bikes joined in. Eventually, the group grew to over 350 people. Older students chatted with friends, while younger ones focused on pedaling. Cars along the way stopped to let the line of cyclists pass. Pupils and parents peeled off toward the first school before the remainder reached the group's final stop.

It’s a familiar Friday scene in Montclair. For the past three years, what beg