Free travel tracker on offer to Shropshire primary schools

School pupils using the travel tracker

Shropshire primary schools are being invited to apply for a special travel tracker to help increase the number of pupils that walk or wheel to school.

Funded by Active Travel England, the Living Streets WOW Travel Trackers are currently used by 28 schools every day. The trackers enable children to digitally log how they travel to school each day, with a reward of monthly badges and a trophy for class winners.

All the schools using them have reported an increase in the number of pupils walking, cycling or scooting to school.

Rob Wilson, Shropshire Council’s Cabinet member for transport and economic growth, said:

“Walking or wheeling to school is a great way for children to keep fit and stay healthy. Research has shown that travelling to school by active means is linked to improved mood and concentration. It also helps to reduce the number of vehicles on the roads near schools, so helps to keep children safe too. It’s win-win.

“Not only is the travel trackers scheme really popular with the children, it also leads to an increase in the number of journeys to school using active travel, and a fall in journeys to school by car. It’s a simple and effective way this is to encourage more children to walk, cycle or scoot to school.”

Samantha Hill, Headteacher at Oakmeadow C of E Primary School, said:

“Pupils and staff have evidenced that they enjoy using the trackers and it is part of their morning routine. Children enjoy looking at the leaderboard comparing schools in the county and country. Some pupils have expressed it has changed the way they come into school through making them more motivated.”

Any primary school that wishes to use Living Streets Wow Travel Trackers to increase their walking and wheeling to school from September 2026 should contact sustainabletravelplanning@shropshire.gov.uk for more information by 22 May 2026.

How the Living Streets Wow Travel Trackers work

By recording all modes of travel, the WOW Travel Tracker is a comprehensive method of gaining valuable insights into school travel habits at schools, local authorities or academy trust level.

The system can be used on classroom interactive whiteboards, PCs and iPads for pupils and teachers to input their journeys each day.

The WOW Travel Tracker uses icons instead of pupil’s names, but classrooms have the option to display name tags should they wish to. At the end of the month pupils who have walked (wheeling, cycling, scooting and Park and Stride count too) to school at least once per week for a whole month can receive their WOW badge.

We support pupils with special educational needs and disabilities to enjoy walking, including travel by wheelchair or mobility scooter. Our ‘Walk/ Wheel’ icon on Travel Tracker counts as an active journey. This icon includes pupils walking with the use of mobility aids, including wheelchairs or wheeled walkers.