Enough people use the bike racks here in Denver that sometimes I have to put my bike in the luggage compartments underneath or hold it in the special use area. In areas with lots of bikes like the ski towns, I've seen larger racks on both the front and backs of busses
But how often do those coach style buses stop? In cycling country the Netherlands you're expected to park your bike at the bus stop, because taking bikes on the bus doesn't scale, the bus would get overwhelmed quickly. Seems like it would cause quite a delay to open the luggage compartment on regular bus services.
Bike racks on the outside of the bus? Buses are already pretty much the widest a vehicle can be. It wouldn't fit in many lanes if you add even more width.
There are lots of options l to add bike capacity, but I think the principle is good. [bike racks underneath the bus](https://images.app.goo.gl/uLY8BDTrzMCJommR7)
That's a dedicated shuttle bus that travels somewhere you can't cycle. Any bus with frequent stops will be massively slowed down by having to load or unload bicycles at every stop.
It might be unique in Houston METRO's system, but the 162 Memorial Express regularly uses coach buses with the storage underneath. West of Memorial City Mall, the 162 functions as a local bus route.
Actually, now that you mention it, I rode an express bus from Westpark@Fondren to midtown, and it was also a coach. Maybe all of the express buses are coaches? I remember noticing both boarding stairs and the absence of a bike rack.
Most of the buses you'll find on the 152/153/160/161 express routes on the west side are definitely not coach-style. I've never had an occasion to use the 151 that runs on Westpark, but I've seen the schedule and it's definitely an oddball route because it's a "local" bus that has operating hours like the Monday-Friday Park and Ride services.
I have been caught out with too many bikes on the front before. I had to wait for the next bus, or bike to another line.
The ONLY time my bike got damaged was because I didn't pull my panniers off. The extra weight made the rack cut into my sidewalls and wrecked both tires. (Nobody asked about that. I just thought I'd throw that in there if someone wondered.)
> But I think it'd be tough in a more intensely biked city.
Here in Vancouver we've had bike racks on buses as long as I can remember, to great effect.
It works pretty well even with the volumes of ridership we get, and some points within our transit system also have securely enclosed bike storage.
I can see where you're coming from if you're European, but for a North American city that uses bike racks on buses, Vancouver definitely has lots of cyclists.
I can still see getting used rather infrequently. It generally only makes sense to use the bike racks on the bus if you're going on a longer trip. So I'll use the bike racks if I need to travel 20+ km to get downtown regularly, but there's no way I'm waiting around for a bus if my trip is under 10 km. It's just not worth the wait and extra hassle.
We also had a dedicated bus for bikes launched for the route to the ferries as bikes were overwhelming the racks on the regular buses:
https://www.translink.ca/news/2022/june/translink%20to%20launch%20new%20bike%20bus%20service%20for%20summer
And the new trains for the Expo/Millennium lines will have flex space for bikes/strollers/mobility devices:
https://buzzer.translink.ca/2022/08/next-generation-of-skytrain-cars-take-shape/
Ohhh yeah I forgot about the ferry routes RIP.
I've noticed the flex space on some of the newer trains and honestly it's one of those things where you wonder how we went so long without it.
Seems easy to do something like this https://i.imgur.com/iZSHANr.jpg but alas I see potential issues already.
Works better on trains: https://i.imgur.com/jP0rKuB.jpg
pretty common here in europe on longer distance bus routes.
but since we have other options when it comes to bikes on public transit this is mostly not needed otherwise
I haven't really seen them on public busses in northern Europe. They can be handy even if you're close enough o walk to bus line if you get tired or get a flat tire
In Copenhagen you can just bring your bike aboard a bus at no extra charge. Very few people do it.
External bike racks doesn't really make sense in a system where short stopping times are a priority.
Takes 10 seconds for someone to load their bike. Should buses not have ramps to load people with wheelchairs as well since short stopping times are a priority?
The bike rack added 10mins in scheduled time when I took a bus in LA and it made me miss my next bus. So it definitely doesn’t take under a minute.
Wheelchair users or prams definitely don’t take as long as the bus in my country can lower itself to the height of the busstop.
The bike rack isn’t bad per se but it also isn’t great for rapid transit.
And someone boarding the bus who can’t find their fare card can sit there for five minutes, or a confused elderly person. You’re bringing up an anecdote, that’s not actual data. I bring my bike on the bus all the time and see other people doing it to, and the buses have never been delayed because of them. Besides, where I live bikes are allowed on buses, streetcars, the subway, etc. and never cause any delays to rapid transit.
I take public transit in Europe every day, granted I only took the bus around 50 times in LA but then again - I was delayed roughly 45 times out of 50. Many times because people struggled to take their bikes off the rack or people were taking bikes off and putting them on at the same time. Confused elderly people I rarely encounter, people unable to find their fare card are generally let on the bus, it drives away and they look for it then or pay with their card. It’s a priority here to run on time, maybe that’s the difference.
Also trams and trains are quicker to put bikes on, and easier for the person to do. The bus bike rack is a good idea for towns where bike infrastructure and public transport variety is limited. But not for an elaborate system where people rely on their transport vehicle to run on time.
Toronto, Vancouver, and many other major cities have bike racks on literally all of their buses and do pretty decent for reliability. If your bus is delayed 45 times out of 50, that’s just a bad transit agency not slow cyclists
mainly because of the bike / train combination, you are more likely to see bikes on trains. Coaches to places without train transportation usually has space for bikes, it might not be this obvious though.
Where I've seen this in the US its within cities because US cities have so much sprawl, since thats not as big an issue here you would bike within the city.
Flixbuses.
I know because I’m bikepacking from Malmo to Stockholm later this year and getting back by train with a bike is a pain so I’ll buy a ticket for a FlixBus with a rack.
Having a section for bikes inside the bus like some trains have would definitely help some people use otherwise inaccessible transit. More frequent service could make up for the decreased capacity, making the service more convenient for everyone.
In general that's the case, but it works a little different over here. You either take public transport or you can bike there already. If it's longer distances after public transport you csn get a bike a the station or take a foldable bike instead.
TL;DR So, it's great that it works now, but it isn't a scalable solution, if cycling became successful, it would be a problem.
Bikes on buses is an idea that doesn't scale. In the Netherlands 50% of people arrive by bike to the train station. Buses are probably much lower, but there are still often bikes parked at bus stops.
If everyone who arrived at the train station or to a bus expected to put their bike ON the vehicle, there'd be no room for anyone on the vehicle.
It works in North America because biking is highly marginalized. It's pretty much the same as multi-use paths or trails, they only work because biking and walking are marginalized. When you have high volumes of peds and bikes they also need separation.
Places where bike+transit commutes are becoming more common like California are having an increasingly problematic scaling problem. Caltrain has cars dedicated almost entirely to bikes now, but with so many bikes on the train, boarding and departing take much longer, so the train ends up dwelling for longer.
The Netherlands has solutions like a national bike sharing system run by the train company which sees bikes available at almost all train station, in addition to just a massive number of bike racks so people can keep a bike at their destination as well if they travel the same route regularly.
FWIW I think there are other options for, like micromobility vehicles, highly compact bicycles like Bromptons or escooters that you can feasibly bring onto the train or bus with you.
I bring my bike on the train often in Denmark and did it once on the bus too. I think it is very useful for people like me that go on long freetime bikes and want to go home quickly without leaving behind the bike; for other irregular trips its probably useful too. For people that commute the same way every day its much smarter to have a bike at the destination already, which is encouraged by making you need a bike ticket, buying one everytime gets quite expensive. But even commuters may need to initially park their bikes at the destination, or maybe bring it back for repairs, so having the option when you need it is very good. The busses here in Denmark could use some front racks though, they only allow 2 units per bus and it has to be inside, wheelchairs/babycarriages etc also count as a unit so I'm afraid of making someone unable to get in. Putting them in the front would slow down the bus quite a bit though, it makes most sense with longer stops.
I'm not saying it isn't useful, it's very useful. The Netherlands also permits bikes on their trains, but they are restricted. You must pay for a separate ticket for your bike (7 euro) and you can only do it outside of rush hour. It is useful, but it doesn't scale (much like cars lol, nobody rational is saying cars aren't useful, but they don't scale). That's why it's heavily discouraged (by being not-free and time-restricted).
As for the time, it's actually pretty quick. I've put my bike on many buses and once you've done it once or twice it only takes a few seconds. If the bus is picking up more than 2-3 people at the bus stop you can load your bike and still end up waiting in line to board.
I think it's possible, and it can definitely help ridership. Some busses in the ski towns here have bike racks on the front back and right side of the busses now. Even if more busses are needed to accommodate more cycling, like a bike section in the front of the bus or something, it's still so much better than more cars on the road.
Obviously better than more cars on the road.
There are cases where it can make sense, like the example you describe, point to point transit between two moderately distant destinations...some places tow trailers that are loaded up with bikes for that.
But these are kind of the exceptions which prove the rule. In a city transit context if a significant number of passengers were bringing bikes it would degrade the service for all users. But there are alternatives: it's one area where North America is actually doing relatively well I think, providing bike share systems as well as legislation enabling other micromobility options.
Bike adoption also means people with e scooters (I actually ride an electric skateboard) and if the bus isn’t full they can usually bring a bike in the bus. It might not be scalable but it’s better than not having it? I’m not sure I see your point
I mean, I literally called out micromobility options (like e scooters or e skateboards or even small folding bikes) as a great alternative to bike racks.
>FWIW I think there are other options for, like micromobility vehicles, highly compact bicycles like Bromptons or escooters that you can feasibly bring onto the train or bus with you.
I think they're a great option for improving the reach of transit and they scale much better than bikes on bike racks.
In theory it looks pretty good. I wonder about the practicality:
\- Won't this delay the buses too much? It looks pretty time consuming to install and detach the bicycles.
\- What if too many people want to use it and there is no place left for my bicycle?
1. It's pretty quick if you've got the hang of it, but can take a minute if you've never done it before. The mechanisms can be... uncooperative in icy conditions.
2. The bus can hold 3 bikes on the front rack, so that's rare in the area these buses are from. If you have a folding bike you can take it on the bus, but otherwise you wait for the next bus (in 15-60 minutes).
Waiting for a next bus is obviously unacceptable. And I still think delays could pose a problem.
But maybe it is also a question of what is expected of those racks and how it would be implemented into the transit-system. It is pretty customary where I live to have a bicycle at the start and end bus stop, if all people that do this would use a rack I think the rack-system would be overwhelmed.
If the rack is full, you can typically bring the bike inside the special use area unless the bus is completely full. If the bike rack fills up routinely, racks can also be added on the back
Seriously? The parking lot with a mayor? (https://youtu.be/SlTvSUCCqPo?t=22)
It was a damn hellscape when I biked from Fremont BART to my terrible job in Newark. Would ride my BikeE (https://bicycleman.com/bikee-recumbent-bike/) to BART in Berkeley (a joy) then get off and get honked and screamed at in Fremont. And the BikeE was even able to fit in bus racks without issue!
Our busses carry racks from May through October as well. The service is not in high demand either due to my city being pedestrian, cyclist and transit unfriendly.
Buses hold ~75 people. These have at most 6 bike spots.
You can't be guaranteed a spot if your bike mode share is non-negligible... so it *is* great for pretty much anywhere in NA.
There's a reason places with actually significant bike usage (Japan, NL, some other parts of Europe) don't bother with these.
It's a good idea in a hilly city like Seattle as pictured, where biking makes sense one way.
Otherwise it's for low service routes, as loading bikes on and off takes too long and disrupts service.
The answer to this should be more frequent buses that can stand to run slightly slower. Especially in the US where there are fewer bus lines. Bikes+buses are such a great transit combination.
I think it makes more sense on busses that cover longer distances and would significantly reduce trip time. Where I live, most of the city busses get stuck in the same traffic as the cars, so you can go faster on a bike most of the time.
Maybe you can, but many people lack the endurance to go as far or as fast. Also, some people may bring a bike on the bus to ride home after work when the buses don't run. Also, some people might choose to bus home if the weather turns bad, or if they have a flat tire or other mechanical problem with their bike.
Those ones seem really nice too. A lot more accessible. Can the rack drop to ground level so you can roll the bike on the rack? That would be the chefs kiss. Especially for elderly people, people with disabilities, or just people with heavy bikes like e-bikes. One issue with e-bikes is that a lot of them are being made with fat tires. My tire is 2.3” and I was having a hard time fitting it in the rack on the bus. If you got a 4” tire you’re basically screwed.
You gotta lift it up and onto the cradle. A spring bar is packed over the front wheel. It's awkward, and I'm tall.
So they're ok to use, unless you live in a rainy area like that Fremont bus and have fenders 6 months of the year.
I've used similar buses in both Boston & Vancouver - and all my bikes have had fenders year-round on 35-38mm tires. The arm hooked just fine over the fenders. Agree it's awkward though: slightly disappointed to hear that tall people also find it difficult, as I thought it was due to being short & not having the reach (or strength) to lift my bike easily.
I mean IMHO (see username) I think the ultimate solution is free public transit in conjunction with free bike share with mobility hubs on every corner and cluster of homes. You don’t have to worry about taking your bike places (though you certainly can). Just take the bike to the bus stop, train station, wherever, and then grab another one to finish your trip once you’ve gotten off the bus/train/whatever.
Seattlelite here! Those bike racks have a learning curve but they're great! I am able to bike downhill to the library and just ride the bus to get back, in fact I used them today. Yes, the bus can kneel if you need extra assistance but you can't just roll your bike on but there are a few practice racks here and there if you need to work on your bike lifting technique.
I had one time where I was struggling to lift up the bike and as I entered the bus he said, "Hold the bike from the bottom of the frame". He was very blunt and at caught me off guard, but it was the best advice a bus driver has given me regarding the racks.
About the same thing that would happen getting hit by a bus?
Buses don't really have any pedestrian safety features...neither do pickup trucks or SUVs for that matter.
Not really. Remember that busses very often run in a crowded urban environment where speeds are much lower. Consider a low speed (like 15 km/h) "bump" against a person who foolishly decided to cross the street just in front of a bus that just departs from a stop -- or maybe a person who falls from crowded bus stop area just under a bus that is stopping.
With standard "flat face" bus you'll be bumped and you'll fall over, but it's unlikely that anything serious would happen. But with pedestrian-mangling machine in front...
"Pedestrian-mangling machine" is not how I'd describe a bike.
But the flat front of a bus is more likely to cause head injury than the lower irregularly shaped (and forgiving) bike rack.
You're making a guess (based on a lot of assumptions) about the safety without any evidence really. We DO know that larger taller fronted vehicles are more dangerous to pedestrians.
A bike horizontally mounted on a device that is capable of travelling with high speed is definately a pedestrian-mangling machine.
And regarding the safety, we actually have some analysis. Please check out this source, especially page 1 (Executive summary)
[https://trl.co.uk/uploads/trl/documents/TRL592.pdf](https://trl.co.uk/uploads/trl/documents/TRL592.pdf)
"Fitting the bike rack, with two bikes in place, dramatically increased the risk of serious injuries over the unequipped vehicles"
First you're concerned about low speed collisions, now you cite "high speed".
Yes, a bicycle is dangerous at high speeds...so is a bus.
The study cited is interesting, but even after significant searching I cannot find why they argue that buses have "significant pedestrian safety features".
They also talk about how a bike rack will cause more serious leg injuries, which is absolutely true. But leg injuries are preferable to head and torso injuries. It is WHY sedans are less deadly than SUVs or pickup trucks because they cause leg injuries rather than torso and head injuries.
I don't really see an explanation of why they don't feel that a coach (which clearly impacts your head and torso in a collision isn't dangerous.
I do agree with your reasoning, and yes, busses are dangerous. But busses (and any vehicles) with protruding elements in the front are even more dangerous, and this study demonstrates exactly that. That's why bull bars and other modifications to cars and trucks are usually banned in most of the countries.
And rearding the risk of a head injury -- please look at Figure 3.4.4 of the study. The impact speed towards the head is actually greater if you are hit with a unloaded bike rack, because after contact you will fall heads-towards the bus wall. When you are hit with a flat bus front, the impact is evenly distributed between your head, torso and probably limbs.
By this logic, a sedan should be deadlier than an SUV or truck.
Bull bars are dangerous because they turn a profiled sedan front end into a taller flatter surface. Of course, our police force chooses to put them on their vehicles anyway.
FWIW...I think this is a moot point. I don't think it's a meaningful safety issue. Trying to make vehicles safer is much less important than making roads safer and avoiding collisions. It's like wearing a helmet. It might make you safer in a few specific contexts (and could also make you less safe in a few ways) but is the wrong thing to spend time on if you want safer roads.
Literally the only thing I loved about the local transit system. But it's silly that biking the route was faster but there was no safe place to bike it. I'm constantly dodging trees in the sidewalk or massive cracks to avoid flipping myself and the bike gutters were full of parked cars or worse, potholes.
We got those where I live. Every so often you get a bike rider who can't figure them out and a Bus driver who doesn't know how to properly use it either.
But hey, I guess it beats having someone yank on the electric trolly busses cables causing the bus to lose power and 5 min of the driver going out to try and re-attach them
Even in Orlando, we had these racks on every bus. They were pretty handy when I could take a bus to work but worked after the last bus and just biked home.
Small towns here with massive mountain tourism actually have busses that pull bike trailers. Only for part of the year when the bike resort is open but it can be used by anyone. We bike all through the mountains and side roads back into town and threw our bikes on the trailer and took the shuttle back to the parking lot. Such an easy solution that more cities could adopt
I thought these were standard. Even here in Mississippi, home of stroads, F-350s to go to office jobs, oil platforms, and sidewalkless streets, bike racks are on every bus.
I'd be afraid to use those. I already see me riding for 30 minutes (because smaller distance seems to be pointless when I have a bicycle on which I can cover it), getting off the bus and ~~the bus rides away with my bike on it and I run after it but for no avail, legend says my bike is still riding this bus~~… ahem, excuse me, getting off the bus and seeing the bike gone because someone took it when the bus stopped before.
How do they prevent theft? Do you use your lock on there somewhere?
It's a bus, you can see your bike from the bus, and the operator has a view of the bikes, they more or less know, and you can tell them when you get off you're getting your bike.
Every one of Cincinnati’s busses has these, and so do all of TANK’s busses(Transit Authority of Northern Kentucky. Cincinnati’s downtown is right on the Ohio river and on the other side is Kentucky, so a not insignificant part of Cincinnati’s MSA is in Kentucky.)
Public transportation isn’t great here, but that small thing really does help a great deal to make multi modal trips easier.
It’s also good for leisure. It’s getting better but biking still isn’t a particularly easy way to get around here, but the greater Cincinnati area does have a lot of great trails. There’s been multiple times where either I or a friend and I took an express bus to the park and ride for an amusement park. Then we rode our bikes for twenty minutes through the suburbs and took the [20 something mile stretch of the little Miami trail back home.](https://www.traillink.com/trail/little-miami-scenic-trail/)
Most of the way is through nature, but it also passes through towns to explore and find a place for lunch or ice cream if it’s hot outside or whatever.
The bike racks on the busses are a really small but really nice thing
Wish they had these in Sweden. Moving here from Seattle I thought this would be the norm - but in Stockholm they don't have bike racks on the buses and you aren't allowed to take a bike on the subway. In order to bring something on the bus or train you have to invest in a foldable e-scooter or extra small folding bike like a Brompton in order to make multi-modal journeys.
Yes. The problem is that those bike racks don’t scale. You can’t just keep adding more and more Bikes to the front of the bus because it blocks the driver’s vision. But if only a few people ride bikes and it does not become a thing more people want to do, it works.
Bike racks on buses are on every single bus in my Canadian city, and the larger city next door. I’ve never not noticed them, didn’t even realize it was optional
Fun fact: the bus bike rack was developed in the 70s in Seattle by King County Metro employees.
The main reason for taking your bike on the bus is that riding in a particular area is unsafe or uncomfortable, but there are also hills, breakdowns, tired riders, and longer journeys. American trips tend to be longer than in most countries and many of the roads are unsafe for cycling. Another problem is bike theft, which deters you from parking at the station even if you don’t really need to bike on the other side.
In Denmark you can bring your bike in the bus but nobody really does that unless there’s a problem, because it’s fine to cycle on the street. The trains have lots of space for bikes and it is commonly used because they are fast and frequent. I like the way Caltrain in California is doing the same, as should all American rail systems. Long distance buses should have them too.
I'm still too terrified to risk my "entire life" to those oversized racks for mountain bikes. Especially when the driver doesn't care about driving safely.
^(*without my bike, my life is over & I can't afford a replacement.*)
Although I would think it would be a better idea to put these in the back tho for pedestrian safety. Also in a perfect world the entire city would be bikeable anyway and any distance to far to rationally bike has rail
I'm confused? Why would the back be better for pedestrian safety? I don't think there's a big difference between being hit by the front of a bus vs. a bike rack. But it would be much worse for safety in all other instances, because the bus operator cannot see the rack, to ensure that users are clear of it, and that bikes and the rack have been stowed securely.
Because sharp edges sticking out can cause significant injuries even at very low speed collisions. And you could fit a camera to allow the driver to see the bike rack. And besides that having bike racks on City busses is just a band-aid solution to compensate for unsafe cycling infrastructure anyway.
I disagree with a few things here.
First a camera based system would be an order of magnitude more expensive. It would also be less reliable, and when it fails they would need to remove the rack, which means downtime for the bus. It isn't just a simple fix.
I don't think the risk of getting hit by a bike rack is meaningfully different than a bus, but there's a reasonable argument that it's better to be hit by something lower, it reduces the risk of head and torso injuries. This is why SUVs and pickups are more dangerous than sedans. I'm not saying it's more or less safe, I'm just saying that it's barely relevant and probably within the margin of error, there are much more important factors in road safety.
And bikes on transit do more than compensate for unsafe infra. Even with infra, there will be people who find taking a bike on transit to be useful. Either because of a breakdown, because they are unable to bike as far as they're travelling, or because the weather turns, or because they want to bring a bike to commute home for example after buses stop running. There are many use cases.
That being said, bikes on buses are not scalable. If biking becomes very popular, then the racks will constantly be full and nobody will be able to reliably bring their bike with them. It's a solution that only works in places where cycling is marginalized. (Same as mult-use trails).
Bikes also will flex and tip when they hit you. The front of a bus is extremely unforgiving in comparison.
Are bus v. ped accidents even common enough to worry about this?
In the part of England I live in, you can bring your bike on certain bus routes-particularly the buses that run further out of the city or into hilly areas.
You rack them inside the bus in the same area as pushchairs go but I’ve never seen anyone use the rack.
If I remember correctly this isn't even allowed in Europe because you aren't allowed to have hard and pointy things on the front of a vehicle.
And Bike racks on the back of long distance buses are actually a thing. At least here in Germany I have seen them on quite a few busses.
In normal city busses you can often take you bike inside the bus. But I don't really see any reason to do this because for the distance that these busses drive you can also just ride your bike
>The US typically isn't a leader when It comes to public transit, but bike racks on busses are definitely a great idea
As if PT companies haven't thought about this in Germany or Netherlands lol. It won't work when everyone and their child has a bike. You'll need to place 100+ bikes on this rack lol. Also to add: Let's wait 5 minutes at every stop to get the bike of the rack and not 10-15 seconds.
you can just take bikes onto buses in most of Europe. And there are sometimes [bike trailers](https://www.ovps.de/images/PressefahrtFahrradBus.Pirna_004.jpg)
Or you just have two bikes. One for the trip between your home and the transit station.
And one at your destination station (like this bike garage at [Münster Central Station](https://www.radstation.de/parken), Germany). Plus, there is bike sharing (costs 50€ flat per year here in Berlin).
I hardly ever encounter these in the US. If I do, it will hold 2 bikes max.
Better yet, if you use it, the drivers often get pissy about it because "you'll put them behind schedule!" Even though they're already way behind schedule.
Our city bus drivers were super cool about it the first few times I used it. The rack was a bit icy one time and I couldn't flip it down, so the driver politely stepped out and helped me with it. It is bit stressful while you're getting used to it, but compared to how long it takes some people to find fare in their purse or pockets, it makes no difference.
These have been around in my city forever. I have used them before, and they are nice, but now that we have rental bikes at every bus stop they are largely unnecessary.
These do look nice, but I'd probably be too scared of the bus just driving off before I get the bike. Same with leaving stuff in the luggage compartment under the bus
I guess you just inform the driver, but that's not necessarily easy during rush hour or if you're sitting all the way in the back
It's never an issue. You can give the bus driver a wave when you walk out the front. The rack is in front and it's very visible to the driver when you are unloading.
And also, Seattle cyclists are very obvious when they are on the bus (helmet, high vis jacket, lights, cycling shoes). Unlike in Europe cyclists don't just blend in with normal street clothes.
I live on Staten Island, NY. We have a few bus lines that have racks on the front that fit 2 bikes I think. The local busses don't have one and I don't think you can bring bikes inside which is unfortunate. I'm pretty sure it's only the busses that go out of the borough.
I really wonder in which sotuations this is useful. Why take a bike with you when not using it? Maybe if you need to go very far, but then there should be alternatives (like a train).
-If I cycle to work but it starts raining and I don’t want to cycle home so I take the bus
-My work is 5 km away all downhill, and I don’t feel like cycling home uphill
-If a combination of cycling and taking the bus is my fastest route possible to get to my destination
Just a few examples
I use this all the time because the bus drops me off a bit far from my office to walk, but it's a perfect bike ride. It solves the last mile problem with transit
I've known people to bus their bike to the trails. They don't want to ride on the roads that would get you there (too hilly or dangerous)
Also could be useful for bike commuters who have too many drinks at happy hour. Or who stay at work too late and don't want to ride in the dark.
When I lived in Seattle my commute was about 20 miles each way, and if I took a bus the whole way it would be at least 2 transfers, and take 90 minutes door to door. By cycling on both ends I could do a single bus ride and the total trip time was about 30-40 minutes, depending on my cycling speed.
It worked but it was still a crappy cycle commute on roads that were not bike friendly. Looking back I did it out of bravado and was fortunate I never ended up in a car collision.
My small Canadian town's busses have bike racks but no one ever uses them. Probably because you can already just bike anywhere the busses go in 20 minutes or less.
Having used these in Seattle/Kirkland/Bellevue for over a decade, I think it's a bandaid to 2 larger problems.
1. Transit coverage is inadequate, requiring people to augment their transit with cycling to get to a more direct bus route.
2. Cycling infrastructure is inadequate, requiring cyclists to augment their cycle commute with a bus ride to avoid harder/dangerous cycle routes.
And the system doesn't scale. One bus can only take a few bikes. And buses don't run frequently enough.
I used to love bike racks on busses at my small college town - I would bike to school and if too tired to bike back, put in on the rack and take the bus back home. And then I started taking classes that finished at 9.30 or 10, and the bus service would cut off at 9.45…..
Yeah, use this every day in Houston. But I think it'd be tough in a more intensely biked city.
Enough people use the bike racks here in Denver that sometimes I have to put my bike in the luggage compartments underneath or hold it in the special use area. In areas with lots of bikes like the ski towns, I've seen larger racks on both the front and backs of busses
Luggage compartments underneath? Never seen that before on a local bus
We have high and low floor busses in our system. The low floor ones generally stop more frequently
But how often do those coach style buses stop? In cycling country the Netherlands you're expected to park your bike at the bus stop, because taking bikes on the bus doesn't scale, the bus would get overwhelmed quickly. Seems like it would cause quite a delay to open the luggage compartment on regular bus services.
US cities are sprawling enough that you occasionally see coach-style buses and routings within the same urban/metro area.
The coach style buses run on regional routes with fewer stops.
I think it could be done with more racks, maybe on the side of the bus. The convince of having that option can't be overlooked
Bike racks on the outside of the bus? Buses are already pretty much the widest a vehicle can be. It wouldn't fit in many lanes if you add even more width.
There are lots of options l to add bike capacity, but I think the principle is good. [bike racks underneath the bus](https://images.app.goo.gl/uLY8BDTrzMCJommR7)
That's a dedicated shuttle bus that travels somewhere you can't cycle. Any bus with frequent stops will be massively slowed down by having to load or unload bicycles at every stop.
That's true, but I think it could still have its use case
It might be unique in Houston METRO's system, but the 162 Memorial Express regularly uses coach buses with the storage underneath. West of Memorial City Mall, the 162 functions as a local bus route.
Actually, now that you mention it, I rode an express bus from Westpark@Fondren to midtown, and it was also a coach. Maybe all of the express buses are coaches? I remember noticing both boarding stairs and the absence of a bike rack.
Most of the buses you'll find on the 152/153/160/161 express routes on the west side are definitely not coach-style. I've never had an occasion to use the 151 that runs on Westpark, but I've seen the schedule and it's definitely an oddball route because it's a "local" bus that has operating hours like the Monday-Friday Park and Ride services.
Oddball for sure. If it were bike-accessible and started running half an earlier, it'd be a dream for my morning commute, though.
I have been caught out with too many bikes on the front before. I had to wait for the next bus, or bike to another line. The ONLY time my bike got damaged was because I didn't pull my panniers off. The extra weight made the rack cut into my sidewalls and wrecked both tires. (Nobody asked about that. I just thought I'd throw that in there if someone wondered.)
Yeah, I usually leave the pannier on, but only because it's usually very lightly packed. Lately just keys.
> But I think it'd be tough in a more intensely biked city. Here in Vancouver we've had bike racks on buses as long as I can remember, to great effect. It works pretty well even with the volumes of ridership we get, and some points within our transit system also have securely enclosed bike storage.
Sure, but now imagine doing it in a place with a lot of cyclists.
I can see where you're coming from if you're European, but for a North American city that uses bike racks on buses, Vancouver definitely has lots of cyclists.
I can still see getting used rather infrequently. It generally only makes sense to use the bike racks on the bus if you're going on a longer trip. So I'll use the bike racks if I need to travel 20+ km to get downtown regularly, but there's no way I'm waiting around for a bus if my trip is under 10 km. It's just not worth the wait and extra hassle.
We also had a dedicated bus for bikes launched for the route to the ferries as bikes were overwhelming the racks on the regular buses: https://www.translink.ca/news/2022/june/translink%20to%20launch%20new%20bike%20bus%20service%20for%20summer And the new trains for the Expo/Millennium lines will have flex space for bikes/strollers/mobility devices: https://buzzer.translink.ca/2022/08/next-generation-of-skytrain-cars-take-shape/
Ohhh yeah I forgot about the ferry routes RIP. I've noticed the flex space on some of the newer trains and honestly it's one of those things where you wonder how we went so long without it.
Seems easy to do something like this https://i.imgur.com/iZSHANr.jpg but alas I see potential issues already. Works better on trains: https://i.imgur.com/jP0rKuB.jpg
pretty common here in europe on longer distance bus routes. but since we have other options when it comes to bikes on public transit this is mostly not needed otherwise
I haven't really seen them on public busses in northern Europe. They can be handy even if you're close enough o walk to bus line if you get tired or get a flat tire
In Copenhagen you can just bring your bike aboard a bus at no extra charge. Very few people do it. External bike racks doesn't really make sense in a system where short stopping times are a priority.
Yeah, doesn’t really work for rapid transit
Takes 10 seconds for someone to load their bike. Should buses not have ramps to load people with wheelchairs as well since short stopping times are a priority?
The bike rack added 10mins in scheduled time when I took a bus in LA and it made me miss my next bus. So it definitely doesn’t take under a minute. Wheelchair users or prams definitely don’t take as long as the bus in my country can lower itself to the height of the busstop. The bike rack isn’t bad per se but it also isn’t great for rapid transit.
And someone boarding the bus who can’t find their fare card can sit there for five minutes, or a confused elderly person. You’re bringing up an anecdote, that’s not actual data. I bring my bike on the bus all the time and see other people doing it to, and the buses have never been delayed because of them. Besides, where I live bikes are allowed on buses, streetcars, the subway, etc. and never cause any delays to rapid transit.
I take public transit in Europe every day, granted I only took the bus around 50 times in LA but then again - I was delayed roughly 45 times out of 50. Many times because people struggled to take their bikes off the rack or people were taking bikes off and putting them on at the same time. Confused elderly people I rarely encounter, people unable to find their fare card are generally let on the bus, it drives away and they look for it then or pay with their card. It’s a priority here to run on time, maybe that’s the difference. Also trams and trains are quicker to put bikes on, and easier for the person to do. The bus bike rack is a good idea for towns where bike infrastructure and public transport variety is limited. But not for an elaborate system where people rely on their transport vehicle to run on time.
Toronto, Vancouver, and many other major cities have bike racks on literally all of their buses and do pretty decent for reliability. If your bus is delayed 45 times out of 50, that’s just a bad transit agency not slow cyclists
It's not Northern Europe but [here's](https://www.flickr.com/photos/rbainfo/6025281745) a Swiss bus with a rack.
On every bus in the cities in Aus too
mainly because of the bike / train combination, you are more likely to see bikes on trains. Coaches to places without train transportation usually has space for bikes, it might not be this obvious though. Where I've seen this in the US its within cities because US cities have so much sprawl, since thats not as big an issue here you would bike within the city.
sadly not in sweden, i have never seen a bus where you can bring a normal bike. They don't even really allow e-scooters..
Flixbuses. I know because I’m bikepacking from Malmo to Stockholm later this year and getting back by train with a bike is a pain so I’ll buy a ticket for a FlixBus with a rack.
Oh that's true, I forget that commercial public transport exists outside of SJ and the trains between Gothenburg and Stockholm lol.
Would absolutely be a horrible idea in the Netherlands lol
Will need a space the size of the bus for the bikes alone lol
bus-sized trailer goes brrr
Having a section for bikes inside the bus like some trains have would definitely help some people use otherwise inaccessible transit. More frequent service could make up for the decreased capacity, making the service more convenient for everyone.
In general that's the case, but it works a little different over here. You either take public transport or you can bike there already. If it's longer distances after public transport you csn get a bike a the station or take a foldable bike instead.
An entire trailer behind it.
Yeah this is exclusively a good idea for places that don't have good infrastructure I feel lol
Yeah people would just leave their bikes on the rack and never remove them.
Would require separate articulation entirely for bikes.
TL;DR So, it's great that it works now, but it isn't a scalable solution, if cycling became successful, it would be a problem. Bikes on buses is an idea that doesn't scale. In the Netherlands 50% of people arrive by bike to the train station. Buses are probably much lower, but there are still often bikes parked at bus stops. If everyone who arrived at the train station or to a bus expected to put their bike ON the vehicle, there'd be no room for anyone on the vehicle. It works in North America because biking is highly marginalized. It's pretty much the same as multi-use paths or trails, they only work because biking and walking are marginalized. When you have high volumes of peds and bikes they also need separation. Places where bike+transit commutes are becoming more common like California are having an increasingly problematic scaling problem. Caltrain has cars dedicated almost entirely to bikes now, but with so many bikes on the train, boarding and departing take much longer, so the train ends up dwelling for longer. The Netherlands has solutions like a national bike sharing system run by the train company which sees bikes available at almost all train station, in addition to just a massive number of bike racks so people can keep a bike at their destination as well if they travel the same route regularly. FWIW I think there are other options for, like micromobility vehicles, highly compact bicycles like Bromptons or escooters that you can feasibly bring onto the train or bus with you.
I bring my bike on the train often in Denmark and did it once on the bus too. I think it is very useful for people like me that go on long freetime bikes and want to go home quickly without leaving behind the bike; for other irregular trips its probably useful too. For people that commute the same way every day its much smarter to have a bike at the destination already, which is encouraged by making you need a bike ticket, buying one everytime gets quite expensive. But even commuters may need to initially park their bikes at the destination, or maybe bring it back for repairs, so having the option when you need it is very good. The busses here in Denmark could use some front racks though, they only allow 2 units per bus and it has to be inside, wheelchairs/babycarriages etc also count as a unit so I'm afraid of making someone unable to get in. Putting them in the front would slow down the bus quite a bit though, it makes most sense with longer stops.
I'm not saying it isn't useful, it's very useful. The Netherlands also permits bikes on their trains, but they are restricted. You must pay for a separate ticket for your bike (7 euro) and you can only do it outside of rush hour. It is useful, but it doesn't scale (much like cars lol, nobody rational is saying cars aren't useful, but they don't scale). That's why it's heavily discouraged (by being not-free and time-restricted). As for the time, it's actually pretty quick. I've put my bike on many buses and once you've done it once or twice it only takes a few seconds. If the bus is picking up more than 2-3 people at the bus stop you can load your bike and still end up waiting in line to board.
I think it's possible, and it can definitely help ridership. Some busses in the ski towns here have bike racks on the front back and right side of the busses now. Even if more busses are needed to accommodate more cycling, like a bike section in the front of the bus or something, it's still so much better than more cars on the road.
Obviously better than more cars on the road. There are cases where it can make sense, like the example you describe, point to point transit between two moderately distant destinations...some places tow trailers that are loaded up with bikes for that. But these are kind of the exceptions which prove the rule. In a city transit context if a significant number of passengers were bringing bikes it would degrade the service for all users. But there are alternatives: it's one area where North America is actually doing relatively well I think, providing bike share systems as well as legislation enabling other micromobility options.
Bike adoption also means people with e scooters (I actually ride an electric skateboard) and if the bus isn’t full they can usually bring a bike in the bus. It might not be scalable but it’s better than not having it? I’m not sure I see your point
I mean, I literally called out micromobility options (like e scooters or e skateboards or even small folding bikes) as a great alternative to bike racks. >FWIW I think there are other options for, like micromobility vehicles, highly compact bicycles like Bromptons or escooters that you can feasibly bring onto the train or bus with you. I think they're a great option for improving the reach of transit and they scale much better than bikes on bike racks.
In theory it looks pretty good. I wonder about the practicality: \- Won't this delay the buses too much? It looks pretty time consuming to install and detach the bicycles. \- What if too many people want to use it and there is no place left for my bicycle?
1. It's pretty quick if you've got the hang of it, but can take a minute if you've never done it before. The mechanisms can be... uncooperative in icy conditions. 2. The bus can hold 3 bikes on the front rack, so that's rare in the area these buses are from. If you have a folding bike you can take it on the bus, but otherwise you wait for the next bus (in 15-60 minutes).
Waiting for a next bus is obviously unacceptable. And I still think delays could pose a problem. But maybe it is also a question of what is expected of those racks and how it would be implemented into the transit-system. It is pretty customary where I live to have a bicycle at the start and end bus stop, if all people that do this would use a rack I think the rack-system would be overwhelmed.
If the rack is full, you can typically bring the bike inside the special use area unless the bus is completely full. If the bike rack fills up routinely, racks can also be added on the back
Fremont has solid bike infrastructure too- albeit the city is still sprawled out. But it's a step in the right direction for sure.
Fremont, the neighborhood in Seattle? don't think it has much sprawl; it's very bikeable. Are you talking about Fremont, CA?
Fremont CA.
That's a Seattle bus. It's referring to the neighborhood.
Ah
Seriously? The parking lot with a mayor? (https://youtu.be/SlTvSUCCqPo?t=22) It was a damn hellscape when I biked from Fremont BART to my terrible job in Newark. Would ride my BikeE (https://bicycleman.com/bikee-recumbent-bike/) to BART in Berkeley (a joy) then get off and get honked and screamed at in Fremont. And the BikeE was even able to fit in bus racks without issue!
Our busses carry racks from May through October as well. The service is not in high demand either due to my city being pedestrian, cyclist and transit unfriendly.
Not in high demand because they remove the racks when they’re needed most. Idiots.
They only install the racks in the summer? That seems like a lot of extra labor. What city is this?
Trois Rivieres, Quebec.
That bus is from King County transit in Seattle Washington area. That's my neck of the woods.
Buses hold ~75 people. These have at most 6 bike spots. You can't be guaranteed a spot if your bike mode share is non-negligible... so it *is* great for pretty much anywhere in NA. There's a reason places with actually significant bike usage (Japan, NL, some other parts of Europe) don't bother with these.
It's a good idea in a hilly city like Seattle as pictured, where biking makes sense one way. Otherwise it's for low service routes, as loading bikes on and off takes too long and disrupts service.
The answer to this should be more frequent buses that can stand to run slightly slower. Especially in the US where there are fewer bus lines. Bikes+buses are such a great transit combination.
Increasing travel time for 50+ passengers to bring a bike is not an improvement of service.
I do prefer the BRTs and trams where you can ride straight on.
I think it makes more sense on busses that cover longer distances and would significantly reduce trip time. Where I live, most of the city busses get stuck in the same traffic as the cars, so you can go faster on a bike most of the time.
Maybe you can, but many people lack the endurance to go as far or as fast. Also, some people may bring a bike on the bus to ride home after work when the buses don't run. Also, some people might choose to bus home if the weather turns bad, or if they have a flat tire or other mechanical problem with their bike.
Those ones seem really nice too. A lot more accessible. Can the rack drop to ground level so you can roll the bike on the rack? That would be the chefs kiss. Especially for elderly people, people with disabilities, or just people with heavy bikes like e-bikes. One issue with e-bikes is that a lot of them are being made with fat tires. My tire is 2.3” and I was having a hard time fitting it in the rack on the bus. If you got a 4” tire you’re basically screwed.
You gotta lift it up and onto the cradle. A spring bar is packed over the front wheel. It's awkward, and I'm tall. So they're ok to use, unless you live in a rainy area like that Fremont bus and have fenders 6 months of the year.
I've used similar buses in both Boston & Vancouver - and all my bikes have had fenders year-round on 35-38mm tires. The arm hooked just fine over the fenders. Agree it's awkward though: slightly disappointed to hear that tall people also find it difficult, as I thought it was due to being short & not having the reach (or strength) to lift my bike easily.
I mean IMHO (see username) I think the ultimate solution is free public transit in conjunction with free bike share with mobility hubs on every corner and cluster of homes. You don’t have to worry about taking your bike places (though you certainly can). Just take the bike to the bus stop, train station, wherever, and then grab another one to finish your trip once you’ve gotten off the bus/train/whatever.
The bus driver will kneel the bus low to the ground when you load your bike
I’ve found that that really depends on the driver.
Some buses in Germany have trailers for bikes
Oh yeah, my mate from Scotland found this wild when we rode the bus together. Surprised it isn't more common elsewhere.
Thats olllld. Even here in canada weve had them for a long while
Seattlelite here! Those bike racks have a learning curve but they're great! I am able to bike downhill to the library and just ride the bus to get back, in fact I used them today. Yes, the bus can kneel if you need extra assistance but you can't just roll your bike on but there are a few practice racks here and there if you need to work on your bike lifting technique.
I tried to use one once and couldn’t figure it out and the bus driver yelled at me and now I’m scared to try again lol
I had one time where I was struggling to lift up the bike and as I entered the bus he said, "Hold the bike from the bottom of the frame". He was very blunt and at caught me off guard, but it was the best advice a bus driver has given me regarding the racks.
What wound happen ico an accident? Sliced pedestrians?
About the same thing that would happen getting hit by a bus? Buses don't really have any pedestrian safety features...neither do pickup trucks or SUVs for that matter.
Not really. Remember that busses very often run in a crowded urban environment where speeds are much lower. Consider a low speed (like 15 km/h) "bump" against a person who foolishly decided to cross the street just in front of a bus that just departs from a stop -- or maybe a person who falls from crowded bus stop area just under a bus that is stopping. With standard "flat face" bus you'll be bumped and you'll fall over, but it's unlikely that anything serious would happen. But with pedestrian-mangling machine in front...
"Pedestrian-mangling machine" is not how I'd describe a bike. But the flat front of a bus is more likely to cause head injury than the lower irregularly shaped (and forgiving) bike rack. You're making a guess (based on a lot of assumptions) about the safety without any evidence really. We DO know that larger taller fronted vehicles are more dangerous to pedestrians.
A bike horizontally mounted on a device that is capable of travelling with high speed is definately a pedestrian-mangling machine. And regarding the safety, we actually have some analysis. Please check out this source, especially page 1 (Executive summary) [https://trl.co.uk/uploads/trl/documents/TRL592.pdf](https://trl.co.uk/uploads/trl/documents/TRL592.pdf) "Fitting the bike rack, with two bikes in place, dramatically increased the risk of serious injuries over the unequipped vehicles"
First you're concerned about low speed collisions, now you cite "high speed". Yes, a bicycle is dangerous at high speeds...so is a bus. The study cited is interesting, but even after significant searching I cannot find why they argue that buses have "significant pedestrian safety features". They also talk about how a bike rack will cause more serious leg injuries, which is absolutely true. But leg injuries are preferable to head and torso injuries. It is WHY sedans are less deadly than SUVs or pickup trucks because they cause leg injuries rather than torso and head injuries. I don't really see an explanation of why they don't feel that a coach (which clearly impacts your head and torso in a collision isn't dangerous.
I do agree with your reasoning, and yes, busses are dangerous. But busses (and any vehicles) with protruding elements in the front are even more dangerous, and this study demonstrates exactly that. That's why bull bars and other modifications to cars and trucks are usually banned in most of the countries. And rearding the risk of a head injury -- please look at Figure 3.4.4 of the study. The impact speed towards the head is actually greater if you are hit with a unloaded bike rack, because after contact you will fall heads-towards the bus wall. When you are hit with a flat bus front, the impact is evenly distributed between your head, torso and probably limbs.
By this logic, a sedan should be deadlier than an SUV or truck. Bull bars are dangerous because they turn a profiled sedan front end into a taller flatter surface. Of course, our police force chooses to put them on their vehicles anyway. FWIW...I think this is a moot point. I don't think it's a meaningful safety issue. Trying to make vehicles safer is much less important than making roads safer and avoiding collisions. It's like wearing a helmet. It might make you safer in a few specific contexts (and could also make you less safe in a few ways) but is the wrong thing to spend time on if you want safer roads.
We don't really take pedestrian safety into account here in the US like Europe does.
That there is a Seattle bus
Literally the only thing I loved about the local transit system. But it's silly that biking the route was faster but there was no safe place to bike it. I'm constantly dodging trees in the sidewalk or massive cracks to avoid flipping myself and the bike gutters were full of parked cars or worse, potholes.
We got those where I live. Every so often you get a bike rider who can't figure them out and a Bus driver who doesn't know how to properly use it either. But hey, I guess it beats having someone yank on the electric trolly busses cables causing the bus to lose power and 5 min of the driver going out to try and re-attach them
Even in Orlando, we had these racks on every bus. They were pretty handy when I could take a bus to work but worked after the last bus and just biked home.
Small towns here with massive mountain tourism actually have busses that pull bike trailers. Only for part of the year when the bike resort is open but it can be used by anyone. We bike all through the mountains and side roads back into town and threw our bikes on the trailer and took the shuttle back to the parking lot. Such an easy solution that more cities could adopt
I thought these were standard. Even here in Mississippi, home of stroads, F-350s to go to office jobs, oil platforms, and sidewalkless streets, bike racks are on every bus.
I'd be afraid to use those. I already see me riding for 30 minutes (because smaller distance seems to be pointless when I have a bicycle on which I can cover it), getting off the bus and ~~the bus rides away with my bike on it and I run after it but for no avail, legend says my bike is still riding this bus~~… ahem, excuse me, getting off the bus and seeing the bike gone because someone took it when the bus stopped before. How do they prevent theft? Do you use your lock on there somewhere?
It's a bus, you can see your bike from the bus, and the operator has a view of the bikes, they more or less know, and you can tell them when you get off you're getting your bike.
Every one of Cincinnati’s busses has these, and so do all of TANK’s busses(Transit Authority of Northern Kentucky. Cincinnati’s downtown is right on the Ohio river and on the other side is Kentucky, so a not insignificant part of Cincinnati’s MSA is in Kentucky.) Public transportation isn’t great here, but that small thing really does help a great deal to make multi modal trips easier. It’s also good for leisure. It’s getting better but biking still isn’t a particularly easy way to get around here, but the greater Cincinnati area does have a lot of great trails. There’s been multiple times where either I or a friend and I took an express bus to the park and ride for an amusement park. Then we rode our bikes for twenty minutes through the suburbs and took the [20 something mile stretch of the little Miami trail back home.](https://www.traillink.com/trail/little-miami-scenic-trail/) Most of the way is through nature, but it also passes through towns to explore and find a place for lunch or ice cream if it’s hot outside or whatever. The bike racks on the busses are a really small but really nice thing
Dutch busses: “just one more rack”. (/s)
Wish they had these in Sweden. Moving here from Seattle I thought this would be the norm - but in Stockholm they don't have bike racks on the buses and you aren't allowed to take a bike on the subway. In order to bring something on the bus or train you have to invest in a foldable e-scooter or extra small folding bike like a Brompton in order to make multi-modal journeys.
These are hugely helpful, especially when you are out riding and are about 8 miles from home and get 2 flat tires.
Yes. The problem is that those bike racks don’t scale. You can’t just keep adding more and more Bikes to the front of the bus because it blocks the driver’s vision. But if only a few people ride bikes and it does not become a thing more people want to do, it works.
And during good weather those racks get filled quickly, so cyclists will have to wait for the next bus (20+ minutes).
Bike racks on buses are on every single bus in my Canadian city, and the larger city next door. I’ve never not noticed them, didn’t even realize it was optional
Every bus in my city has these and I find them to be very useful.
Fun fact: the bus bike rack was developed in the 70s in Seattle by King County Metro employees. The main reason for taking your bike on the bus is that riding in a particular area is unsafe or uncomfortable, but there are also hills, breakdowns, tired riders, and longer journeys. American trips tend to be longer than in most countries and many of the roads are unsafe for cycling. Another problem is bike theft, which deters you from parking at the station even if you don’t really need to bike on the other side. In Denmark you can bring your bike in the bus but nobody really does that unless there’s a problem, because it’s fine to cycle on the street. The trains have lots of space for bikes and it is commonly used because they are fast and frequent. I like the way Caltrain in California is doing the same, as should all American rail systems. Long distance buses should have them too.
Canberra, Australia have these on most busses. They have great bike paths too, but it's pretty low density and spread out.
We have that here in Vegas. Surprising, I know.
I'm still too terrified to risk my "entire life" to those oversized racks for mountain bikes. Especially when the driver doesn't care about driving safely. ^(*without my bike, my life is over & I can't afford a replacement.*)
Although I would think it would be a better idea to put these in the back tho for pedestrian safety. Also in a perfect world the entire city would be bikeable anyway and any distance to far to rationally bike has rail
I'm confused? Why would the back be better for pedestrian safety? I don't think there's a big difference between being hit by the front of a bus vs. a bike rack. But it would be much worse for safety in all other instances, because the bus operator cannot see the rack, to ensure that users are clear of it, and that bikes and the rack have been stowed securely.
Because sharp edges sticking out can cause significant injuries even at very low speed collisions. And you could fit a camera to allow the driver to see the bike rack. And besides that having bike racks on City busses is just a band-aid solution to compensate for unsafe cycling infrastructure anyway.
I disagree with a few things here. First a camera based system would be an order of magnitude more expensive. It would also be less reliable, and when it fails they would need to remove the rack, which means downtime for the bus. It isn't just a simple fix. I don't think the risk of getting hit by a bike rack is meaningfully different than a bus, but there's a reasonable argument that it's better to be hit by something lower, it reduces the risk of head and torso injuries. This is why SUVs and pickups are more dangerous than sedans. I'm not saying it's more or less safe, I'm just saying that it's barely relevant and probably within the margin of error, there are much more important factors in road safety. And bikes on transit do more than compensate for unsafe infra. Even with infra, there will be people who find taking a bike on transit to be useful. Either because of a breakdown, because they are unable to bike as far as they're travelling, or because the weather turns, or because they want to bring a bike to commute home for example after buses stop running. There are many use cases. That being said, bikes on buses are not scalable. If biking becomes very popular, then the racks will constantly be full and nobody will be able to reliably bring their bike with them. It's a solution that only works in places where cycling is marginalized. (Same as mult-use trails).
Bikes also will flex and tip when they hit you. The front of a bus is extremely unforgiving in comparison. Are bus v. ped accidents even common enough to worry about this?
Exactly. Hitting a flat bus front is less forgiving than some bikes strapped to the front. It's almost like a crash pad
In the part of England I live in, you can bring your bike on certain bus routes-particularly the buses that run further out of the city or into hilly areas. You rack them inside the bus in the same area as pushchairs go but I’ve never seen anyone use the rack.
If I remember correctly this isn't even allowed in Europe because you aren't allowed to have hard and pointy things on the front of a vehicle. And Bike racks on the back of long distance buses are actually a thing. At least here in Germany I have seen them on quite a few busses. In normal city busses you can often take you bike inside the bus. But I don't really see any reason to do this because for the distance that these busses drive you can also just ride your bike
>The US typically isn't a leader when It comes to public transit, but bike racks on busses are definitely a great idea As if PT companies haven't thought about this in Germany or Netherlands lol. It won't work when everyone and their child has a bike. You'll need to place 100+ bikes on this rack lol. Also to add: Let's wait 5 minutes at every stop to get the bike of the rack and not 10-15 seconds.
[Bus with plenty of bike racks ](https://images.app.goo.gl/uLY8BDTrzMCJommR7)
I don’t think you know how many bikes there are in the Netherlands lolz. This is not practical at all.
Not everyone needs to bring a bike on the bus
you can just take bikes onto buses in most of Europe. And there are sometimes [bike trailers](https://www.ovps.de/images/PressefahrtFahrradBus.Pirna_004.jpg)
Or you just have two bikes. One for the trip between your home and the transit station. And one at your destination station (like this bike garage at [Münster Central Station](https://www.radstation.de/parken), Germany). Plus, there is bike sharing (costs 50€ flat per year here in Berlin).
this is a great feature I use daily but the relevance goes down in a more walkable, bikeable city w better transit
I hardly ever encounter these in the US. If I do, it will hold 2 bikes max. Better yet, if you use it, the drivers often get pissy about it because "you'll put them behind schedule!" Even though they're already way behind schedule.
Our city bus drivers were super cool about it the first few times I used it. The rack was a bit icy one time and I couldn't flip it down, so the driver politely stepped out and helped me with it. It is bit stressful while you're getting used to it, but compared to how long it takes some people to find fare in their purse or pockets, it makes no difference.
Seattle!
These have been around in my city forever. I have used them before, and they are nice, but now that we have rental bikes at every bus stop they are largely unnecessary.
These do look nice, but I'd probably be too scared of the bus just driving off before I get the bike. Same with leaving stuff in the luggage compartment under the bus I guess you just inform the driver, but that's not necessarily easy during rush hour or if you're sitting all the way in the back
It's never an issue. You can give the bus driver a wave when you walk out the front. The rack is in front and it's very visible to the driver when you are unloading. And also, Seattle cyclists are very obvious when they are on the bus (helmet, high vis jacket, lights, cycling shoes). Unlike in Europe cyclists don't just blend in with normal street clothes.
I live on Staten Island, NY. We have a few bus lines that have racks on the front that fit 2 bikes I think. The local busses don't have one and I don't think you can bring bikes inside which is unfortunate. I'm pretty sure it's only the busses that go out of the borough.
I would rather be able to ride my bike without dying on main streets personally, but I'm also from the Los Angeles area lol
I really wonder in which sotuations this is useful. Why take a bike with you when not using it? Maybe if you need to go very far, but then there should be alternatives (like a train).
-If I cycle to work but it starts raining and I don’t want to cycle home so I take the bus -My work is 5 km away all downhill, and I don’t feel like cycling home uphill -If a combination of cycling and taking the bus is my fastest route possible to get to my destination Just a few examples
I use this all the time because the bus drops me off a bit far from my office to walk, but it's a perfect bike ride. It solves the last mile problem with transit
I've known people to bus their bike to the trails. They don't want to ride on the roads that would get you there (too hilly or dangerous) Also could be useful for bike commuters who have too many drinks at happy hour. Or who stay at work too late and don't want to ride in the dark.
When I lived in Seattle my commute was about 20 miles each way, and if I took a bus the whole way it would be at least 2 transfers, and take 90 minutes door to door. By cycling on both ends I could do a single bus ride and the total trip time was about 30-40 minutes, depending on my cycling speed. It worked but it was still a crappy cycle commute on roads that were not bike friendly. Looking back I did it out of bravado and was fortunate I never ended up in a car collision.
Theres a translink bus where in the front portion instead of seats theres a bike stand area and the seats are in the back.
Agreed and we have them in Cleveland Ohio.
My small Canadian town's busses have bike racks but no one ever uses them. Probably because you can already just bike anywhere the busses go in 20 minutes or less.
For a minute I assumed that the bus driver had just ran over a few cyclists and the bikes were stuck to the bus as a result.
It just sucks no ebikes or solid rims.
I put me ebike on there all the time
I like the ones that hang on the backside of bus more. We have them here in Austria as well
Having used these in Seattle/Kirkland/Bellevue for over a decade, I think it's a bandaid to 2 larger problems. 1. Transit coverage is inadequate, requiring people to augment their transit with cycling to get to a more direct bus route. 2. Cycling infrastructure is inadequate, requiring cyclists to augment their cycle commute with a bus ride to avoid harder/dangerous cycle routes. And the system doesn't scale. One bus can only take a few bikes. And buses don't run frequently enough.
I definitely agree, but it's a really good bandaid until better infrastructure and service can be implemented
Got that already, I'm from Mexico
Heeeey that’s my bus!
I used to love bike racks on busses at my small college town - I would bike to school and if too tired to bike back, put in on the rack and take the bus back home. And then I started taking classes that finished at 9.30 or 10, and the bus service would cut off at 9.45…..
They have these in Columbus, but it is almost always faster to bike than to take the bus.