Driving systems transition through learning: a case study for net zero school transport in rural Scotland

The school run is a persistent local transport issue in most urban areas. Private automobiles remain the dominant transport mode for school journeys, supported by infrastructure and vehicles designed for traffic flow, safety, comfort and convenience. While the car journey offers perceived benefits to carers, it also generates well-documented externalities, including traffic congestion, air pollution, reduced physical activity and increased risks for pedestrians and cyclists. The School Strike for Climate added the ground-up pressure from students to take action. This study explores a transdisciplinary systems approach to tackling the wicked problem of the car drop-off at primary schools. The transition engineering methodology was carried out to design a novel education programme that empowers students to understand global warming and the role of petrol car trips, communicate their needs to carers and contribute to achieving net-zero transport goals through equitable and inclusive changes. The programme was implemented in a participatory action research process involving over 300 students, educators and local stakeholders. Participants reflected that the programme catalysed a cultural shift within the school community, fostering ownership of sustainable school transport and aligning with broader community-level transport strategies. This article presents the design methodology, implementation of outcomes, prototyping experiences and stakeholder feedback. The article contributes a novel programme for sustainable school transport that supports the development of competencies among students to become change makers.