New transit racks that can carry up to three bicycles have been installed on Greenlink’s fixed route buses. Heavy and increasing use of Greenlink’s bikes-on-buses program prompted the upgrade, according to Greenlink officials.
“Our bike rack usage has continued to increase, so upgrading to triple transit racks was the next step to help meet that demand,” said Transit Director Mark Rickards.
Transit agencies across the country have dramatically increased the availability of bicycle racks on buses and they are now commonplace on most bus fleets. In 2001, only 32% of buses were equipped with external bicycle racks, compared with 74% of buses in 2013, according to the American Public Transportation Association (APTA). Greenlink added bike racks to its fleet in 2009.
The bikes-on-buses program is a multimodal initiative to integrate biking, walking, and transit, and to help alleviate transit’s first- and last-mile dilemma, according to Rickards. “The first- and last-mile connection to a transit stop is a critical component to the success of any public transportation system,” Rickards said. “When people commute from their homes to a transit stop, they must decide whether to drive their cars and find parking, or walk or bike to the stop. For those who choose to bike, Greenlink offers them an easy way to carry their bikes.”
Greenlink provides fixed route transportation services Monday through Saturday throughout Greenville County. The system operates the Clemson Commuter, Clemson Connector and CU-ICAR/St. Francis Shuttle, and owns and operates Greenville’s downtown trolleys. The transit system also includes Greenville Area Paratransit (GAP), an ADA service for those unable to use Greenlink’s fixed route service.