CASE STUDY
How a Market Town Used Data and Community to Rethink the School Run
In Market Harborough, a volunteer campaign group, six primary schools and almost 2,000 pupils have shown what’s possible when local passion meets good data.
> A Community Group Looking for a Smarter Way
The story begins with Active Travel Revolution (ATR), a volunteer-led group in Market Harborough campaigning to tackle school-run congestion and make streets safer and healthier.
ATR could see the problem every day: crowded roads around schools and children missing out on the benefits of walking and cycling. What they didn’t have was a strategic way in:
ATR approached HomeRun, and with support and strategic funding from Leicestershire County Council, we used our HomeRun STEP platform to help answer those questions.
> Bringing STEP to Market Harborough
Together, we analysed travel for six primary schools, covering almost 2,000 pupils across the town and nearby villages. The approach combined:
1. Predictive STEP analysis
We used STEP to model how pupils currently travel to school, and what other modes might realistically be possible.
The platform blends journey patterns with local geographic, demographic and behavioural data to build a detailed picture of school-run travel – without needing every family to fill out a survey.
2. A school travel survey
We then co-designed a parent survey with ATR to:
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Validate STEP’s predictions
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Capture attitudes and barriers –such as safety concerns and reasons for driving
> The Results
Travel habits across Market Harborough primary school journeys: Current and Potential Travel Modes
ATR took the survey to all six schools and achieved a 53% response rate, representing 1,056 pupils – much higher than most school travel surveys run by centralised delivery partners.
The survey results were compared with the STEP’s predictive analysis - which when combined provided full data coverage for all school journeys. The analysis revealed huge potential for changing travel habits, alongside a 96% accuracy rate for STEP's predictive modelling - a strong validation of HomeRun’s “model first, then survey” approach that councils and community groups can rely on.
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“HomeRun has been a fantastic partner to help us understand how parents travel to and from our schools. Their STEP methodology has given us a complete picture of current travel behaviours and realistic behaviour change scenarios”
> Bob Bellm, Co-founder of Active Travel Revolution
> Key Insights
A walkable town still dominated by cars
Around 80% of pupils live within 1.5 miles of their school - well within walking or cycling distance for most primary-aged children. Yet travel modes were almost evenly split between walking and driving, very few pupils cycled, and school bus use was limited.
Potential Travel Modes – Market Harborough
Potential for journey sharing
The survey showed that 22% of families already share journeys in some way. Furthermore, among those who don’t journey share, around 37% would be interested. Using postcode-level analysis, STEP mapped where these families live and identified hotspots for journey sharing
Driving Families Open to Journey Sharing
School buses: popular idea, limited reality
School buses were the most popular request among driving parents, but the data told a more complex story:
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Many requests came from families within realistic walking or cycling distance
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Relatively few families lived far enough away to support a traditional, paid bus route
This suggests a conventional external school bus service is unlikely to be viable for most schools in the town, but a shared minibus across schools could play a targeted role.
> From Insight to Action:
1 > Start where the potential is greatest
Focus first on Meadowdale Primary School, where the catchment is ideal for walking and journey sharing, and many families drive short distances but are open to change.
2 > Combine “easy wins” with structural changes
Combine behavioural nudges with safer crossings, better walking routes and, where appropriate, measures such as parking restrictions or School Streets.
3 > Plan for cross-school collaboration
Explore joint journey-sharing offers across all six schools, including shared school buses and walking/cycling “buses” to connect nearby villages.
> Why this Pilot Matters Beyond Market Harborough
This pilot points to a model that can work far nationally (and beyond).
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It validated STEP in a new area, with 96% accuracy against a strong survey response, reinforcing our “model first, then survey” approach.
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It showed how a local volunteer group, with modest funding from the council, can use data to build a robust evidence base and make more focused asks for infrastructure and support.
Our takeaway:
The most effective way to transform the school run is to equip local groups and councils with the tools and data they need to drive change.
Local campaigners like ATR know their communities and streets. HomeRun STEP provides the evidence and analysis to empower that local knowledge and turn it into evidence-led action.
“Our vision is for local authorities and local campaign groups to work from a shared, trusted evidence base, targeting the neighbourhoods and journeys with the highest potential for change. This approach will lead to everyday school runs becoming healthier, safer, easier journeys for children and their communities.”
> Pooya Kamvari, CEO & Founder of HomeRun
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