Lucillle

Car free senior for about 10 months now. Am buying a second hand Dahon to try the local Park and Ride. Metro allows folding bikes on the bus as long as they are folded and in a bag.
For those who have done this, I'm assuming that if the bus is full one can't put the bag on the seat, do you just keep it on your lap?

wahoonc

Between my feet or partially under the seat if possible.

Aaron

cooker

Would you consider getting a cheap full size bike and locking it at the transit station? Or do you need it at both ends?

Machka 

Put it in the luggage section where the strollers, skateboards, and oversized backpacks go.

cooker

We don't have that on our city buses - but they might have it on regional buses.

Machka 

Really?

When you get on the bus, there's either an elevated area (or two) next to the wheel chair section, near the front of the bus, for luggage, or if there is no wheelchair section, then there's a place near the back door for luggage.

Like this ...

Ekdog

Neither do we.

no1mad 

Those luggage areas are typically used by people who have to stand and have no other place to put any bag(s) they may have with them. Or the transit company uses that space to give out free publications or for donation boxes.

Dahon.Steve

You'll need a bag but start looking at areas in the bus where the bike will fit. As someone already said, under the seat of bus if possible. You'll scratch the bike but that's life.

If the bus has a bike rack, you might be able to place the folder there. If you see the picture below, the size seats are perfect for placing the folder underneath.

imagesCAH4XERT.jpg

Dahon.Steve

We have buses like these but they are going to the airport.

Ekdog

I used to have a Dahon, but I've gone over to a Brompton, which is much easier to fold and makes multi-modal commuting a hell of a lot easier.

Machka 

Almost all our buses have areas like that or the larger, lower areas near the back door as I also described. We are encouraged to put our stuff, even smaller backpacks and things, there. A lot of people seem to off-load everything into those storage areas, even handbags and small things like that.

Only a few older buses don't have any luggage storage areas.

Unfortunately, you never know what bus you'll get. I have considered taking my folding bike with me to work so I can ride at lunch or ride home, but every so often, at random, one of the older buses will be on the route and there would be nowhere to put my bike.


That's what most of our newer everyday city buses look like. The handful of older ones still in service look a bit different.

Ekdog

Come to think of it, our airport buses have a similar configuration. It would be great if all city buses had a space for folding bikes, luggage, groceries, and so on.

badger1

Completely agree.

Our transit commission has been renewing its fleet extensively over the past several years, but only a very few of the new rigs have this facility. There is a kind of informal, quiet lobby group trying to change this -- we'll see what happens. We had some success getting those front-mounted bike racks, so one never knows.

cooker

Here the city buses often run full, certainly in rush hour, and most people are not carrying much luggage so it make more sense to maximize seating. There is one luggage spot over the right front wheel and some buses have external front bike racks for two bikes. There is room under many of the seats for shopping bags, etc. but I doubt if a Brompton or Dahon or such would fit.

tandempower

That's such a frustrating deterrent, isn't it? Maybe one day it will be possible to check online for the bus status of a particular route for the day and see whether or not it has a bike rack that day.

Dahon.Steve

There are a number of "Stick" folders out there like the Strida or CarryMe that would fit between your legs. If your journey is less than 2 miles, an adult kick scooter like Xooter or Razor A5 would do just as well.