The Bikeability digitisation project

What is digitisation?

Working as part of the Bikeability industry can be surprisingly complex. Consent, health and safety, inclusivity and complaints must all be considered and recorded in the correct way. Currently, this is managed by our industry across England in many different ways and here, at The Bikeability Trust, we want to make your job easier. That’s why we’re investing in a digitisation project.  

We want to save you time and money, offer a robust process you feel confident in and, ultimately, ensure that anyone who receives Bikeability cycle training has the best possible experience.  

The digitisation project aims to solve three problems that you may experience whilst delivering Bikeability cycle training. 

Problem 1: Getting consent takes time and involves complex administration

Solution: An automated consent process

An automated consent process will be created using Link. This will help you, riders, parents and schools be better prepared for Bikeability. 

Schools will be able to send a pre-prepared email or letter to parents about their child’s upcoming Bikeability cycle training. Parents will either click a link or scan a QR code to open and complete a consent form. This information will be automatically shared with the school, training providers and instructors before training begins, so you have all the information you need to deliver the best Bikeability. 

This will also allow the Bikeability Trust to talk to schools and parents before a course, which will ensure everyone has the same information. These emails (or letters for those without an email address) will include useful information like an official Bikeability cycle check video, which we expect will reduce the number of unroadworthy cycles on your training sessions.  

What if I already have a system to get consent that works for me?

If you already use Clarity, Coordinate Sport or your own bespoke software to gather consent, Link will be able to connect to your existing software using a solution called an application programming interface (API). Full documentation will be provided to explain how to do this. We know many of you have invested time and money into any systems you use, so we will not ask you to replace these. 

For those of you who rely on paper or other more manual methods, our new system will also make the process much easier for you. 

As we get closer to the official launch, our team will be in touch with you regarding your specific needs and we will work with you to create a solution that works best for you. As part of our working group, we will create different solutions for different methods.

Problem 2: Completing feedback for riders takes too much time for instructors

Solution: An instructor app

An instructor app will be created so you can access information “on the go.” You will be able to access this through a secure website. 

Instructors will be able to access information regarding riders easily, so they can adapt Bikeability sessions to the needs of the group. This will help you to offer the best experience for every child. 

You will also be able to use this app to record rider outcomes, using a selection of prepopulated sentences and simple check boxes. You won’t need constant Wi-Fi or 4G to access the app, so you can easily use it wherever you might be delivering training. Schools will receive an automatic email prior to training to explaining how and why you need to do this, so the use of phones can be permitted.  

These will then be automatically sent to parents, using the emails collected as part of the initial automated consent process. No more long hours in the staff room writing out feedback! Children will still receive a physical certificate and badge. We will be running a specific webinar about the instructor app for you to ask any questions soon.  

Problem 3: Parents don’t know or understand what their children have learnt, so kids don’t keep cycling

Solution: A post-course community for families

A post-course online community for families will be packed full of content to inspire and encourage families to continue riding beyond Bikeability. Parents will be able to log in to this bespoke website to see their child’s personal feedback (taken automatically from the instructor app). They will also be able to watch pre-recorded videos of activities learnt during training. 

Fun activities, like an interactive quiz, challenges and special offers from our partners, will keep families cycling. We will also be able to gather data on the longer-term impact of Bikeability, for example, how many children keep cycling after they finish their course. This will give us better evidence to demonstrate our value to Active Travel England and secure future funding.  

What do I need to do?

For now, nothing! We are working with select grant recipients, training providers and instructors across the country on our draft version and this is progressing as planned. 

As we work on digitisation, we will keep you updated on our progress, and you will have the opportunity to ask more detailed questions about the project. We will provide email updates, online webinars and detailed user guides.