In Belgrade and cities like it, public transport is a lifeline essential, used daily by hundreds of thousands. But it’s also, let’s be honest, often a source of frustration. Overcrowded buses. Delayed trams.
Unlit stations. Feeling unsafe after dark. Too often, we point fingers at the city or wait for the government to fix it. But what if we, the passengers, the parents, the citizens, could fix parts of it ourselves?
The Barcelona Bicycle School Bus: A Lesson in Local Action
In Barcelona, something remarkable happened not with city funding, not through a public-private partnership, but thanks to a group of parents who simply cared.
Worried about road safety and pollution, they launched the “bicibus” a convoy of parents and children cycling to school together, every Friday morning. They created their own routes, coordinated times, wore safety vests, and rode together like a school bus… but on two wheels.
The result? A safer, healthier, and more empowering way for children to get to school. And just as importantly, a culture shift. This wasn’t policy. It was people.
What Could This Look Like in Belgrade?
We have the energy. We have the creativity. What we often lack is just… permission. But we don’t need to wait for City Hall to issue a green light for common sense. Imagine if:
- Residents created a “safe stop” network, e.g. shops and cafes where kids or women could wait if they felt unsafe near bus stops.- Neighborhoods worked together to identify problem spots and lobbied for change as one voice.
- Students or local groups took part in crowd sourcing maps of unsafe routes, broken lights, or areas without shelters.
- Parents walked kids together to school stops in the mornings, building mini communities along the way.
Belgrade is not short on brilliant people. What we need is to recognize that we don’t have to wait to act.
SafeMove Is Built for Exactly This
At SafeMove, we created a platform not just to track danger but to build solutions around it.
Our app (coming soon) lets users:
- Share stories and observations
- View danger zones in real time
- Start conversations about how to change the patterns we all experience
But more than that, SafeMove is a place for communities to find each other because no one should be navigating unsafe transport alone.
Don’t Just Ride. Shape the Ride
Governments have their role. But they aren’t the only ones with ideas. And they shouldn’t be the only ones with responsibility.
You, reading this, might have already noticed something that could be improved e.g. a safer path, a smarter way to organize, a pattern that’s being ignored.
Let’s talk. Let’s test it. Let’s try it.
Because better public transport isn’t just about infrastructure, it’s about ownership. And ownership starts with us.
Join the Movement
Are you a parent? A rider? A city worker? A student?
Do you want to help us build safer streets and smarter mobility from the ground
up?
Email us at info@safemove.rs
Follow us on Instagram and LinkedIn
Together, we can stop waiting — and start moving.