Biking & TTC & Airplanes..

[danis]

Hi Everyone,

I'm originally from Toronto but living in Winnipeg now, and have to go on a 2 week training course next month. It is located downtown, and I will be staying at my parents house in Thornhill. I was wondering if it is possible to take my bike on the subway because I would like to avoid taking the bus from there.

Also, is it safe to load bikes on an Airplane? Is there extra considerations should i be locking it up before I check it?

I don't want to have to rent a car when I am there if I don't have to... but if I can't bring my bike onto the subway then I guess there is no other choice...

Thanks!

[AEO]

For airplanes they usually have oversized luggage check in and it's packed separately, probably should pack it very well yourself or at a shop since parcel handlers at airports don't care what's written on the bags. They just toss if it's light enough.
You can bring your bike on TTC no problem. There's a by-law that prohibits you from bringing a bike onto the TTC during peak rush hours, but you are allowed to at other hours. I believe the peak hours are 7am~9am and 3pm~7pm.

[cooker]

Bikes need to be partially disassembled and packed to go on a plane. There are probably threads advising on that. The airline may charge extra, but recently when I was booking a flight on AC the website said for some reason they would allow a bike to travel free with the ticket, so check with them.

[psykoocycle]

Don't know if this helps, but I have on occasion brought my bike on the subway even at peak hours. However, I have a folding bike with 20". If you have a normal 26er, it may be problematic during rush hours.

[chephy]

I'm originally from Toronto but living in Winnipeg now, and have to go on a 2 week training course next month. It is located downtown, and I will be staying at my parents house in Thornhill. I was wondering if it is possible to take my bike on the subway because I would like to avoid taking the bus from there. You are allowed to take a bike on TTC at any time except for peak hours on weekdays. Peak hours are defined as 6:30-9:30 a.m. and 3:30-6:30 p.m. On weekends and holidays you can take the bike in at any time.

I've never tried to bring a bike on TTC at peak hours; sometimes the subway isn't actually that crowded at those hours, so they might let you in anyway, but that depends on your luck.

[Boudicca]

I got shouted at by the driver when I tried loading the bike in the rush hour once. Weekends are fine though.

As for planes, take a look at the touring forum. Lotsa juicy info there.

[newf_in_the_wes]

I can't say I know anything about the TTC but for flying I'd recommend flying WestJet. I met a guy here at the airport in Victoria who was traveling with his bike. It was boxed up. WestJet didn't charge him for carrying an oversize bag. Air Canada was going to charge him $60 for it. Of course it's best to call AC and WestJet directly and find out what their policies are.

Yet another reason to not utilize Air Canada's services.

[Yan]

I thought the TTC installed exterior bike racks on a couple of bus lines (Eglinton?), as an exploratory trial. What happened to that? Are they planning to install racks on all vehicles?

As for air travel. I had my bike disassembled by a shop and packed in a large box. Air Canada didn't charge me for it. You'll have to pay the bike shop though...