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news
East Yorkshire BusesNew buses in Yorkshire can now carry bicycles (+ videos)
Bus passengers in Yorkshire can now take bicycles on board with them for free after a local bus operator invested £2 million in “state of the art, environmentally friendly” double decker buses.
The Eastrider buses, which cost £260,000 each, will operate on East Yorkshire Buses’ X46 route between Hull, Beverley, Market Weighton, Pocklington and York and the 45 service between Bridlington, Driffield and York.
The buses also have Wi-Fi, USB slots and wireless chargers, tables, next stop announcements and luxury interiors.
According to Ben Gilligan, area director of East Yorkshire Buses, the bike racks on the new buses, which can each carry two bicycles, are a “game changer,” reports the Hull Daily Mail.
“When we ordered the new buses, we wanted to make sure they had everything passengers wanted,” he explained.
“The technology on board means people can make the most of the time they spend on the bus, whether that’s working, catching up on the latest shows, or simply sitting back in our comfortable seats and enjoying the view.
“At the moment, everyone’s talking about getting active, so the ability to bring your bike along is a game changer.
“It opens up huge possibilities for both commuters and those who cycle for fun to make the most of the endless opportunities for cycling in our amazing part of the country,” he added.
The company has also produced a video showing how to use the bike racks, which flip down with users then placing the rear wheel in the rack and use a belt to secure the bicycle.
From the video, however, it does appear that bikes might take up some space that might otherwise be used for pushchairs or wheelchairs. The racks also look unsuitable for non-standard bikes.
The website Bikes On Buses highlights that in Europe and elsewhere, where bus operators do make provision for bicycles, it tends to be done through racks attached to the front of the vehicle – something that is not allowed under UK law.
Last year, we reported how James Freeman, managing director of First West of England, which provides bus services in Bristol, Bath, Somerset, South Gloucestershire and West Wiltshire, had spoken about the issues regarding carriage of bikes on buses at a regional transport forum held by the West of England Combined Authority.
> Buses in West of England to get trailers for bikes?
He ruled out stowing buses in the passenger compartment because other passengers might need the space, and said that rear racks came with safety and security risks, instead suggesting that trailers might be the answer.
“The bike-on-a-bus issue is an interesting one because bikes are prickly things and they don’t sit comfortably inside a vehicle where there are people walking about and are likely to be thrown about,” he explained.
“So it’s quite an issue as to how you can safely get a bike into a vehicle and put it away so it’s neatly and safely stowed.
“The issue we have with a lot of our buses is they’re rather busy, particularly on the lower deck of double-deckers because that part of the bus is used by people in wheelchairs, people with kids in buggies, by people who don’t enjoy stairs.
“All these people need that lower deck section between the front axle and the back axles.”
He continued: “My own vote would be to put bikes on the outside because they live outside, so why shouldn’t they?
“Unfortunately we have hit a complete brick wall because the DVSA says it might be alright for the United States and for New Zealand but it won’t do for the UK — you cannot put bikes on the front of buses, you have to have them on the back.
“The back is the most dangerous place of a bus. And I have mental images that people will just quietly walk off with them while the bus is waiting for a traffic light.”
“I have wondered about trailers,” he added. “In Europe there are bicycle trailers towed by vehicles.
“That’s conceivable. I’m not terribly keen on it but it might be the answer.”
Simon joined road.cc as news editor in 2009 and is now the site’s community editor, acting as a link between the team producing the content and our readers. A law and languages graduate, published translator and former retail analyst, he has reported on issues as diverse as cycling-related court cases, anti-doping investigations, the latest developments in the bike industry and the sport’s biggest races. Now back in London full-time after 15 years living in Oxford and Cambridge, he loves cycling along the Thames but misses having his former riding buddy, Elodie the miniature schnauzer, in the basket in front of him.
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19 comments
No mention of whether the expensive new buses are electric. Because if they're not, they should be. Diesel engines are old technology and eventually will be banned from the roads.
It doesn't specifically mention electric, but it does say they have 'their latest low emission engines.' I'd guess probably hybrids.
More importantly though, all the passengers seem to be blatantly ignoring the mandatory face covering requirement.
Who would put a bike on a bus? I ride bikes to stay off things like buses!
Someone who buses in from a rural village into the city in a notorious hilly area who doesn't want to drive but has a few miles to get to the pickup point and to get to the office from the drop off.
Or someone like me who got car doored and had a bent front wheel 6 miles from home but no family or friends who could pick me up. Plenty of buses went past as I was walking home.
(too cheap for taxi)
Ive had a similar experience.
I ended up slamming into a back of a car during a rather wet commute home. Driver helped me up but drove off after telling me he'd park his car before coming back and swapping contact details (as i had asked)
I had quite a big collision with the back of his car and i tried to ride home but my bike was a mess and my right leg that took the impact of hitting the floor wasnt in great condition either. I was around 4 miles away from home and soaking wet. Tried to walk it back but my leg was hurting a little too much at that point so i relented and just called an uber home driver. I went to A&E an hour later after arriving home. had a few X-rays. nothing broken. just extremely bruised.
(also walking 4miles with cleated shoes in the pouring rain was a recipe for further disaster...)
Its not every day when you are going to have an emergency and in the worst case that you dont have a friend or family member available to come pick you up (i did try before i booked an uber) just stump up the money for a taxi.
I was out of service for a week.
One really late night it was torrential rain and I was in a bus shelter fixing a puncture but struggling to get the tyre off. A bus driver stopped and told me to get on board with my bike. I boarded by the mid-doors and just stood there with my bike for the whole length of his route. It meant I could push the bike the last mile or two to my house, and fix it the next day when I was dry and in a better mood.
So thank you to that bus driver.
And I hope more buses start to get official bike storage, for tourism; mixed-mode commuting; and as a get-out-of-jail-free card.
My suggestion on double-deckers would be to have all the regular seating upstairs ( many able-bodied passengers otherwise unnecessarily occupy seats downstairs ).
Downstairs would be only priority seating; space for disabled people; and pens/stalls for standing cyclists ( ie you stand astride your bike - with handrails for safety )
Surely that's a taxi home with a receipt requested to be added to the insurance claim
Could always add rails to the outside of the bus, so that people can sit on their bikes and hold on to it.
Never mind that - I have mental images of the bus driver sailing off obliviously into the distance while someone's walking round to retrieve their bike. At least with the front-loading options they should be visible.
It looks at least as good as what we currently have on trains. Perhaps it will spread. Hull might become Cycle City again. Well done East Yorkshire!
First video (the one with the really annoying "music"): shows cyclist boarding the bus and putting the front wheel in the rack.
Second video: shows how to use the racks "which flip down with users then placing the rear wheel in the rack".
Joined up PR.
All credit to the bus company for the effort. However, I am suspicious of anything which involves putting all the stress on the wheel. The 2nd bike furthest from the bus side will suffer from the tension in the attachment cable and additional force from the vehicle turning left. It needs a lift-down fixing spar which clamps onto the frame, reaching over the 1st bike.
Doesn't affect me as I am unlikely to ever wish to cycle in East Yorkshire.
I can already see some fights breaking out as the bike is obstructing priority seating so people with prams & wheelchairs will have to find somewhere else to tuck themselves into or wait for the next bus and cross their fingers that there wont be a cyclist on board.
Good idea but poor implementation
I expect that a wheelchair user would have priority, and the cycle(ist) would need to disembark.
Which does kind of render it all a bit pointless.
(Except: who is travelling by bus nowadays anyway...?)
Well, That would normally be how it works but ive seen fights break out from mothers with prams refusing to get off so somebody in a wheelchair can board.
everyone has paid for their ticket and has the right to stay on the bus till they get to their destination or should they decide to detour and hop off a few stops early.
-- Youre expecting people to have some common decency and be courtious to one another. For a lot of people thats asking too much.
With that said. I dont live in yorkshire (although i used to date a hottie from leeds.) so maybe the locals there might treat each other with more respect than the ones in the big city down south.
I don't think this is a good option for city busses, but the routes it is going on are relatively long distance and don't get a huge number of people with buggies and wheelchairs. It's also one of the most car dependent parts of the England due to a complete lack of public transport apart from these buses. Never thought I'd see Pocklington make it on to road.cc
I quite like the racks you see on the front of buses in the USA and Canada - i'm guessing that they fall foul of european crash safety standards though.
When I first saw the headline I was going to mention the ones in the USA. Admittedly I only saw them on one route in Vegas and didn't see them in "action" but I did think it was something to be used over here if possible for some routes.
I used them in San Francisco, they are fab. The roads were huge. I cant see them working in the UK.
I'll second this – I grew up in East Yorkshire, and those buses are seldom full. They tend to be used (outside of commuting hours) by hale pensioners with free bus passes out for a day trip to the coast, and you don't see too many push chairs.