Meant to mention this a couple of weeks ago when it happened. My OH was in town with the kids, and the 3-year-old had a balance bike with them. They decided to take the bus home instead of walking as it had started raining, but the bus driver refused to allow the balance bike on the bus...
Must admit I was surprised that 'no bikes' would apply to something small enough such that it can fit on your lap when seated.
CityCyclingEdinburgh Forum » General Edinburgh
Bikes on buses?
(17 posts)-
Posted 12 years ago #
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I understand one of the many pleasures of being a foldernaut is the ability to bag'n'smuggle your steed past such jobsworths because they don't recognise names like Brompton or Dahon.
Neatly points out the absurdity of the rules, methinks
Posted 12 years ago # -
"bag'n'smuggle"
The key thing is "bag".
Explicitly mentioned on LB site.
I once saw a man bag his Brompton, then bag his son's (folded) scooter.
They all got on the bus without any bother.
Ultimately it's up to driver.
With balance bike I'd have waited for next bus.
Posted 12 years ago # -
I';ve seen bus drivers do this before. not impressed. the justification for the 'in a bag' rule is that the chain might be dirty. can't apply to a balance bike.
Posted 12 years ago # -
On the other hand...
(have I told this story before?)When my boyfriend was still commuting to Fife, he had a chain snap on him. He decided to abandon the bike, get a bus, and come back to retreive the bike later. So he got on the bus.
"Where's the bike?" asked the driver (boyfriend was in cycling gear).
"Chain snapped," said boyfriend.
"Oh, bring it on the bus," said the driver! Apparently there was no one else on it, nor likely to be.(Can't remember how he got it back from Fife - I think a friendly colleague might have helped...)
Posted 12 years ago # -
"Drivers may refuse to carry any item which they believe to be excessively large or likely to cause injury to anyone or damage to any property."
"Accompanied luggage is carried at the driver’s discretion and the passenger’s risk. The Company will not be liable for any loss of, or damage to, luggage. Luggage must not be placed on any seat or cause any obstruction.
The following items may NOT be taken onto the Company’s buses:
b) bicycles other than folding bicycles which are folded and fully enclosed in a suitable carrying bag."
http://lothianbuses.com/conditions-of-carriage
An explanatory note from LB would be quite helpful.
"Small animals are carried at the driver’s discretion. Guide dogs, assistance dogs and learning dogs will be carried if there is room on the bus. All dogs must be on a lead and all other animals must be secured in a suitable cage or carrying case."
Muddy paws are presumably also at the driver's descretion. The rules don't say anything about muddy or snowy feet though.
Posted 12 years ago # -
In Austria there are certain bus companies, notably IVB in Innsbruck (also see here), carry bikes as standard. We can they do it here?
Posted 12 years ago # -
Kim, my boyfriend grew up in a village near Innsbruck - when he went to the High School equivalent in the city he would cycle down to the school but put the bike in the bus to get back - I think it is about a 200m height difference. He did cycle up too, and then he got into cycling up Alpine passes in order to descend very fast, and now he has proper thigh muscles... anyway to return to the buses, if you have storage space for bikes underneath then they can't be low access for wheelchairs and buggies. I think there might be companies that use the doofers on the back that are there for carrying skis on, when it isn't ski season. Not much demand for those here...
Posted 12 years ago # -
The racks on the back are used for bikes in summer (this was taken in summer http://www.flickr.com/photos/49194391@N00/6267191478/ on a route which is particularly popular), and on the IVB buses the bikes are carried inside the bus, I will get a photo next time I go over to Absam.
Posted 12 years ago # -
Some info here -
Posted 12 years ago # -
A pal tells me that, back when there were many teams in Edinburgh, they would occasionally have altercations with the conductor when trying to take the cycle speedway bike on the bus (wheels off) - especially when the whole team wanted to board the same bus! But at least they could get on.
Posted 12 years ago # -
I don't see why we couldn't have racks like the ones chdot posted. Takes a few seconds to attach the bike. Perhaps you could have some sort of a lock like a locker at the pool - you fire in a 20p piece when you attach the bike - this lets you remove the key, then you show the bus driver this as you board which means that you've paid the surcharge?
Posted 12 years ago # -
all those points correct, but still raises issue of why LB will take tots with scooters but not balance bikes.
Posted 12 years ago # -
"... still raises issue of why LB will take tots with scooters but not balance bikes."
I think it's a simple case of the driver using his discretion incorrectly rather tha LB policy.
Posted 12 years ago # -
I think it's a simple case of the driver using his discretion incorrectly rather tha LB policy.
Exactly. The LB conditions of carriage (like the tram's which were discussed here a few months back) are drafted sufficiently loosely to allow the driver to decide whether a bike (or any other large object) is likely to cause injury or damage to the bus/punters/putners' stuff. Sounds like the driver in the balance bike incident has overstepped the mark as I'd be surprised if a balance bike would cause injury or damage.
I've never tried to take a full size bike on a bus, but I would imagine it would be pretty awkward.
Posted 12 years ago # -
I stashed mine on the visibility demo bus on the LB open day while Kappers circled round it and I went off to see the other exhibits, which turned out to be buses and bus-related products.
It's a pain in the bum even when the bus is parked indefinitely and has a great big wheelchair/buggy space.
Posted 12 years ago #
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