Walking school buses and their success (or failure) determinants: A thematic analysis of parental active school travel insights in Ferrara through the lens of social capital theory

The decline in children's active travel to school, progressively replaced by car-based commuting, has raised concerns due to its environmental, social, and public health implications. In response, the Walking School Bus (WSB), a structured group walking initiative supervised by adults, has been promoted as a free, sustainable mobility solution that encourages physical activity, reduces traffic congestion, and fosters community engagement. Despite its recognised benefits, WSB programmes remain critically underutilised and understudied. This research investigates the limited adoption of WSBs in the city of Ferrara, Italy. Drawing on 27 semi-structured interviews with parents from schools where the service is active, suspended, or absent, our study employs a six-step thematic analysis, informed by social capital theory that conceptualises WSBs as a public good. Five key themes were identified and contextualised: community engagement , service considerations , e nvironmental sustainability , service interactions , and willingness to participate . These themes decode the influence of parental social networks, perceptions of the service, sustainability practices, decision-making factors underpinning adoption, and reasons for limited participation or programme discontinuation. We also report, for the first time for this active school travel discourse, a willingness from parents to pay for the subsidisation of WSBs. Our findings provide valuable insights looking to inform local policymakers and school authorities about those factors underpinning scheme acceptance and WSB design practicalities so that the provision of such services may be more parent-centric and thus more popular. • Active school travel and Walking School Buses (WSBs), in particular, may help crafting pathways to more sustainable futures. • We thematically analyse the factors affecting the WSB service in Ferrara, Italy examining parental perceptions. • Five themes emerge : “community engagement”, “service considerations”, “environmental sustainability”, “service interactions”, and “willingness to participate” . • Inconvenient WSB stop locations, lack of daily operations, conflicts between work start and WSBs' departure times and bad weather conditions are adoption barriers. • WSBs promote civic and environmental education, foster children's independence and social integration, encourage physical activity and enjoyment and help parents balance personal and work life.