Bus plus a bike?

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tyreon
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Bus plus a bike?

Post by tyreon »

City news:
Followed a University Campus inter campus link bus today(the bus loops around the uni's disparate geographical settings). On the back of the bus was a cycle carrier. I guess the cycle carrier might take 2 bicycles. I couldn't help wondering what it was all about: the figure of eight that the bus would take on its journey would be 3.5 miles max,and it's mainly flat terrain! Then,in the same city(tho with a different bus company)when I approached a bus driver to ask about cycle conveyance,the driver said if he did have a cycle carrier on his bus he would not be using it because he had not been trained in how to use it safely. I'm left scratching my head. Am I slow, or does executive need... well,executing!!

Has anyone here seen any bus carrying a bike?
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gaz
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Re: Bus plus a bike?

Post by gaz »

Not quite old enough to have used it but....
http://farm3.static.flickr.com/2274/220 ... z.jpg?zz=1

There are some plans to introduce a bus bike shuttle service on the Medway Tunnel, I doubt it will get past the planning stage.
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CliveyT
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Re: Bus plus a bike?

Post by CliveyT »

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pedalsheep
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Re: Bus plus a bike?

Post by pedalsheep »

Last year Southern Vectis on the Isle of Wight introduced buses with space for bikes inside. Its not all buses just the service that runs right round the coast and its obviously aimed at tourists but its ideal for those who find distances are greater then they thought.
http://cycleseven.org/wight-bike-bus
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mrjemm
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Re: Bus plus a bike?

Post by mrjemm »

tyreon wrote:Has anyone here seen any bus carrying a bike?


Bridge1Editsm.jpg


That is mine on the front, and Mme's was inside, but then this was in the US, going over the big bridge at Astoria, Oregon. Felt we were cheating, but the weather was horrendous and there'd been a nasty crash on the bridge the day before, so why prove a point?

All the buses around there had racks on the front for 2, and often, like this time, would take some inside also.

But... more locally, I may be wrong, but something in my mind says that you can take bikes on the 555 through the lakes. Probably am wrong.

Editing before posting... Maybe not the 555, but some certainly can, see this link if interested: http://www.nationalparks.gov.uk/visitin ... e-district

And: http://www.golakes.co.uk/travel/New-Bike-Bus.aspx
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RickH
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Re: Bus plus a bike?

Post by RickH »

mrjemm wrote:All the buses around there had racks on the front for 2, and often, like this time, would take some inside also.

Reminds me of a visit to Toronto a few years back - virtually all of the city's buses had a bike rack on the front.

Rick.
Former member of the Cult of the Polystyrene Head Carbuncle.
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foxyrider
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Re: Bus plus a bike?

Post by foxyrider »

Only the UK owned express coaches in Germany don't take bikes! Postbus use the lockers but MeinFern/Flixbus use Thule carriers on the rear. :D
Convention? what's that then?
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tyreon
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Re: Bus plus a bike?

Post by tyreon »

News of buses carrying bikes...it just cheers me right up. How good to see. I mean,what does it take? Some bicycle carrying contraption on the front or rear of the bus. An easy design. Then simple carriage anywhere in UK no probs. Surely if there was a cycle carrier at rear of bus the additional weight would be negligible. And design? I mean,to conform to H+S and Insurance...it can't be that difficult to design some simple secure way of carrying a bike,two bikes.

2014:out in France all hotels full,hammering with rain,no nearby train station,myself and wife had to escape from homelessness and pneumonia last year. Only way to get-outta-town,the bus. But no local knew whether the bus would take the bikes or not. It did. But we had to load them 'downstairs' in the luggage carrying hold. Stress+++ especially cos it looked like the bus driver was not going to help us load 'em.
Ascidian
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Re: Bus plus a bike?

Post by Ascidian »

Go North East used to carry bikes along part of the Consett to Sunderland cycle way. You could put them in the wheel chair bay.
Mark1978
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Re: Bus plus a bike?

Post by Mark1978 »

Ascidian wrote:Go North East used to carry bikes along part of the Consett to Sunderland cycle way. You could put them in the wheel chair bay.


They still do. At least from Chester Le street to Consett maybe Sunderland too.

However the list of reasons as to why a bike won't be permitted to board or why they would be asked to get off is as long as your arm.

Plus the fact that it's quicker to cycle the route than use the bus.
Tangled Metal
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Re: Bus plus a bike?

Post by Tangled Metal »

About 10 years ago the local bus routes linking up small villages took up to 4 bikes IIRC. I never saw them but read a cycling route leaflet from the local.council published to encourage use of bikes with.buses. Can't remember the bus numbers but there was one round from.Carnforth to Warton and some villages with Yealand in them. Another went through over Kellet. This is north America of Lancaster which was among the 5 towns that were the first cycling demonstration.towns way back.

I'm sure I've seen some in Scotland. Perhaps those post buses.
mrjemm
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Re: Bus plus a bike?

Post by mrjemm »

North America of Lancaster? Ha, I wish that Lancaster was in North America! I guess predictive is getting feisty there TM. Carnforth to Warton though, what, 1 mile? Having not read right through my own link though, the buses I listed could go that way. Nice riding round there though, and getting on train not usually troublesome.
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syklist
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Re: Bus plus a bike?

Post by syklist »

We put our bikes on the back of a bus in Lofoten in 2011. We travelled from Leknes to Moskenes and there was space on a simple rack for two bikes. Long distance coaches in Norway generally have space under the back or the sides of the bus big enough to take a bike or four (-panniers) slid in sideways. I prefer that. In Lofoten the bus we wanted already had two bikes on the back. So we had to wait a couple of hours for the next bus.

I have also seen bikes on the front of buses in the Vancouver area. Not sure how that works if the bus happens to hit a pedestrian or another cyclist. It probably causes as much damage to soft bodies as bull bars do.
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foxyrider
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Re: Bus plus a bike?

Post by foxyrider »

I have put my bike & panniers on a normal service bus in the Black Forest back in 2007 (is it really that long ago?), just put arm out, pay fare, park bike in standee area, take seat - no fuss, the driver didn't even blink at the request. :D
Convention? what's that then?
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Tangled Metal
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Re: Bus plus a bike?

Post by Tangled Metal »

mrjemm wrote:North America of Lancaster? Ha, I wish that Lancaster was in North America! I guess predictive is getting feisty there TM. Carnforth to Warton though, what, 1 mile? Having not read right through my own link though, the buses I listed could go that way. Nice riding round there though, and getting on train not usually troublesome.

I think it was a link bus running through the villages around there and going back to the train station. IIRC back then there were a few routes including one that went towards the River Lune from Carnforth or was that Lancaster that had a rack on the back for bikes. Up to 4 bikes was a good service too but I think it was stopped way back in the early 2000s.

IIRC there are many Lancasters in USA and Canada. Of course wasn't it Washington himself who's origins are Warton , Lancashire? Well that is their claim and one of their pubs is named after him. It is a nice cycling area indeed but some of the motorists can drive close in or go round blind bends under the high hedges a little too fast for the road. Scared the whatnots out of my lass when we're towing our lad in his trailer round there. Total lack of care from people in cars. Then there are the idiots going to campsites with huge caravans and motorhomes using satnav to get there. End up taking the shortest roads to the A6 which really are not able to take them and opposing traffic (not even a bike with trailer can pass a motorhome on those roads easily. One of the caravan sites out there IMHO should be closed down because of these satnav idiots.
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