BCC bus bike racks
Some Brisbane City Council bus routes will carry bikes in special racks on the front [1][2]. They were initially made available as a twelve month trial from 28 October 2002 [3], and continued without further announcement for some years until their demise was announced in May 2007 [4].
Routes
Although the racks can be seen on buses on many routes, they will refuse to carry bikes on all but three defined routes:
- 432 University of Queensland to Kenmore
- 444 Brisbane CBD to Moggill
- 598/599 Great Circle
All buses on those routes should have bike racks, but in practice they frequently don't. This problem became more severe with the upgrade of the old 440 service to the higher frequency 444 BUZ. In accordance with fears and despite assurances to the contrary from BCC it resulted in a shortage of buses with racks on the above routes, although buses with racks are frequently seen at the same time on other routes. There have been occasional reports that it is possible to find out in advance which services will have a rack, or even to book a rack for a particular service, but other attempts to do this have not been successful.
In June 2007 it was announced that the 432 and 444 would cease carrying bicycles altogether, and only the Great Circle route would remain.
Usage
Always stand to the kerb side of the bus when using the racks.
To load your bike onto a bus bike rack:
- Indicate to the driver that you are going to use the rack.
- Use the handle at the top of the middle of the rack to release it and fold the rack down horizontal.
- Lift your bike onto one of the two spots on the rack.
- Pull the spring loaded arm/loop over the top of your wheel.
To unload your bike from a rack:
- Indicate to the driver that you are going to use the rack.
- Release the spring loaded loop from your wheel.
- Lift your bike off the rack.
- Use the handle again to release the rack and fold it back up vertical.
Design
The racks are a design by American company Sportworks with modifications to meet the Australian Design Rules. The racks are in widespread use in the US.
