Video - Putting Bike on a City Bus Bike Rack

[KnottedYet]

Be sure to tell the bus driver BEFORE you load your bike, and again on your way off the bus, tell him/her you BEFORE you take the bike off.

One of the drivers on my commute always says "Bike!" in reply when you announce putting the bike on or taking the bike off, so you know he's acknowledging you and not just saying "ok" or "yes" to someone else on the bus.

If you catch a bus at a station or near a layover bay, ask the driver of an idle parked bus if you can raise and lower the rack for practice. If the driver of the parked bus has the time, ask him to tell you any tips he'd like you to know about riding with a bike. I got a great bike-rack lesson from a bus driver parked in a layover bay. I was so grateful!

Anyone thinking of commuting bus/bike, give it a try! It really is very easy. (and your bike will stay on the rack over bumps, really! though I did have my heart in my mouth the first time it happened!)

Edit to add: here's a video of the racks Seattle busses use (a little tiny bit different than the Maine ones). I think this is the video that shows a bus with two bikes slamming to a stop. The bikes rock rather wildly, but don't fall off. But I still worried the first time I took my bike on the bus! http://www.bicycleracks.com/busrack_video.asp (and I won't mention the time a truck ran a red light in front of my bus and my bike had a near miss)