Bike Month in the air. Bike meets bus. Love at first sight.

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Metro was the first in the nation to install racks on all buses. They went all-out on this prototype.

I’m probably not the first one to tell you that May is Bike Month—you’re probably reading this as you keep refreshing your team’s Group Health Commute Challenge stats page.  But did you also know that King County Metro and Sound Transit are helping to get more people on bikes during May?

For many people—new and veteran riders alike—a commute more than a few miles might seem daunting.  So bike, meet bus.  And bus, bike.  Cue music and get started.

During the week of May 14 to 18 — including F5 Bike to Work Day — any person loading a bicycle on a Metro bus or ST Express bus in King County will ride for free.  Each bus has three spaces for bikes, available on first come/first served basis.  Let’s thank our transit agencies for their encouragement by filling those racks.  Yet while the bus may shave off a few minutes from your bike commute, keep in mind that a full rack means that you’ll have to wait for the next bus or park your bike at the stop or station.

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More info and promotion on King County Metro's website

Does standing in front of a loaded bus and trying to figure out how to load your bike for the first time make your helmet feel a little too snug?  Check out this video.  King County Metro also has practice bike racks at five locations around the county for you to give it a try without that kind of pressure.

Thanks to King County Metro and Sound Transit for making the connection.  Bikes on buses give us better mobility and encourage more people to go by bike.  And that's good for all of us.