Auckland buses to get bike racks so cyclists can travel across Harbour Bridge
Auckland Transport says bike racks will be on 1/3 of its North Shore Express buses by July 21.
Photo:
123RF
Cyclists on Auckland's North Shore can finally take the bus across the Harbour Bridge.
Buses in the city do not have bike racks - the only public transport option for those taking bikes across the harbour is to catch a ferry.
But from July 2025, 15 North Shore Express 1 buses running every 3 to 15 minutes between Albany and the city centre will be getting bike racks.
By 21 July, Auckland Transport said bike racks would be on 1/3 of its North Shore Express buses.
Unlike other public transport operators across the country which have front-mounted bike racks on the outside of their buses, AT's bike racks were inside with passengers.
Head of Public Transport Services Pete Moth said having bike racks would not reduce the number of passengers the buses could fit, although some people might have to stand.
"We removed three banks of two seats, six seats in total.
"When bikes are not being used we can actually get nine passengers standing in that space."
He said cyclists could expect roughly every third NX1 bus to have a bike rack with two available bike spaces.
He said AT consulted a public transport accessibility advisory group to ensure bringing in bikes would not negatively impact accessible seating.
"We can adequately fit wheelchairs, pushchairs, mobility scooters as well as bikes into the space."
Head of Active Modes Tania Loveridge said they were pleased to be taking the first step towards
having bikes on buses
.
"People have been calling for the chance to take their bike across the Harbour Bridge for some time.
"We've been looking at this for the better part of a year in terms of exploring opportunities and how that best could be done.
"There was a trial undertaken prior to Christmas as an initial phase one and now it's about rolling out this as a trial for the coming 12 months and we're looking forward to hearing what Aucklanders say about it."
Buses with cycle racks have a green cyclist symbol on the outside of the bus.
The AT Mobile app and eventually digital signage screens at bus stops would also show which buses accommodated bikes.
Councillor and cyclist Chris Darby.
Photo:
RNZ / Cole Eastham-Farrelly
Councillor and cyclist Chris Darby said having the bike racks on the NX1 gave North Shore commuters another option to get to work and University.
"It's [the NX1] one of our very busiest bus routes. It carries a lot of people and of course, you've got a bridge in the way and you can't cycle over that.
"This particular solution comes a small way to bridging that barrier of coming across the harbour by bike."
He said keeping bikes inside the bus meant drivers did not have to worry about bikes falling off the bus if they were not secured properly.
Fiáin d'Leafy from Bike Auckland said they had been pushing for bikes on buses, particularly for North Shore services.
"We've been campaigning for a way to cross the harbour with our bikes so this goes some way towards addressing the glaring gap.
"It gives people a lot more mobility and freedom to use their bikes for their trips between the North Shore and the city centre and we're really excited for that."
With City Rail Link construction impacting train services, d'Leafy wanted to see bikes racks on more buses sooner than later.
"We would love to see bike racks extended. Especially to buses that are being used as replacements for the trains. The train allows us to take a bike on board. Having a bus replace a train where you can't take your bike onboard the bus is not a true train replacement."
They encouraged cyclists to be courteous of other bus users when bringing their bikes on board.
Head of Public Transport Services Peter Moth said if their 12-month trial period went well, they would look at installing bike racks on more services including NX2 and the Western Express 1 buses.
He said AT was not ruling out also having front-mounted bike racks in the future.
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