Parental Perspectives on the Walking School Bus: Survey Evidence from Ferrara, Italy

Walking School Bus (WSB) programmes, in which children walk to school in groups under adult supervision, are increasingly promoted as a sustainable alternative to private car use. However, participation remains limited and uneven across cities. This paper examines the behavioural, social, and economic factors associated with parental participation in Ferrara (Italy). It draws on a survey of 711 parents from 15 primary schools. The analysis compares three groups of parents: those whose children actively participate in a WSB, those in schools where the service exists but is not used, and those in schools without the service. The findings show broad agreement on the environmental and educational value of the WSB. At the same time, they reveal a persistent reliance on private transport. Logistical and organisational barriers, such as distance from collection points, schedule incompatibility, and the scarcity of volunteers, are more relevant than value-based resistance. Interpersonal trust and civic engagement are associated with participation, but they need to be combined with organisational and institutional support to translate into stable participation. Willingness to Pay and Willingness to Accept suggest that parents perceive the WSB as a collective good with high symbolic value, rather than as a monetizable service. The paper provides the descriptive and theoretical foundation for a companion paper that will estimate ordered logit models on WTP and WTA.