Sam Balto

Sam Balto has taught Physical Education for over a decade in Washington, DC, Boston, and Portland, Oregon. For the past 12 years, he has championed active transportation to school as a powerful way to boost student physical activity and strengthen school communities. After leading walking school buses for 9 years, Sam launched his first bike bus at Alameda Elementary in Spring 2022 and the rest is history. His weekly bike bus has gained international attention, even bringing the conversation about children’s active transportation to The White House. The ride has drawn notable guests, including Justin Timberlake, who joined in and told Sam, “You’re bringing joy to a lot of people out here.” Building on this momentum, Sam founded Bike Bus World, a nonprofit dedicated to inspiring and supporting communities everywhere to start their own bike buses.