This Thursday, May 11, thousands of Bay Area bicyclists will participate in the 23rdAnnual Bike to Work Day, an annual event that encourages commuters to choose bicycles over cars for their daily commute.
SamTrans buses can carry two bikes on racks at the front of each bus, and two additional bikes are allowed inside the bus, depending on passenger loads. Some things to know: only single-rider, two-wheel bicycles are permitted. No motor, tandem or three-wheel bikes are allowed. There is no age limit for riders using the bike racks or bringing bikes on board the bus. However, riders must be able to load and unload their bikes without help from the operator.
On Caltrain, every train is equipped with at least two bike cars. Caltrain’s older Gallery-car trains have a capacity for 40 bikes in each car for a total capacity of 80 bikes on each train. The newer Bombardier cars are equipped with three bike cars and are able to hold 24 bikes per car for a total capacity of 72 bikes per train.
However, due to the popularity of the onboard bike program, capacity for bicyclists can be a challenge. Cyclists are encouraged to choose local trains with lighter ridership to ensure they are able to board, if they want to test out biking to work for the first time. Many of the express and limited stop trains are already operating at or near capacity for onboard bikes.
According to Caltrain’s latest onboard ridership survey, each weekday more than 5,500 bicyclists ride the train. While biking and taking public transit can work well together for first- and last-mile connections, as well as getting people out of their cars and off freeways, onboard capacity may be at its limit on Bike to Work Day. There are other great Bike to Work Day options that will help new cyclists try out biking without the stress of finding space onboard.
- Bay Area Bike Share - Bikes can be rented at kiosks located at the San Francisco, Redwood City, Palo Alto, Mountain View and San Jose Diridon Caltrain Stations.
- Bike parking – With limited onboard bike space, customers with bikes are encouraged to park them at Caltrain stations, when feasible. Bike racks, lockers and shared-access parking facilities are available at most Caltrain stations for customers who bike to and/or from the station. Caltrain and other local agencies are upgrading and adding bike parking at train stations along the corridor, such as e-lockers.
- Folding bikes – These types of bikes can be stored as luggage and save space onboard because they do not have to be parked inside the bike car.
On Bike to Work Day, energizer stations will be set up along the roadways of major bicycle commuting routes that have food, goodies and good cheer to encourage cyclists on Bike to Work Day.
This year, 16 energizer stations will be located at the following Caltrain stations:
- San Francisco station @ Fourth and King streets – 7 a.m. to 9:30 a.m. & 5 – 7 p.m.
- San Bruno – 7 a.m. to 9:30 a.m.
- Millbrae station – 7 a.m. to 9 a.m.
- Burlingame station – 7 a.m. to 9 a.m.
- San Mateo station – 6 a.m. to 9:30 a.m.
- Hillsdale station – 6 a.m. to 9 a.m.
- Belmont station – 6:30 a.m. to 9 a.m.
- San Carlos station – 7:30 a.m. to 9:30 a.m.
- Redwood City station – 7 a.m. to 9:30 a.m.
- Menlo Park station – 7 a.m. to 9 a.m.
- Palo Alto station – 6:30 a.m. to 9:30 a.m.
- California Avenue station – 6:30 a.m. to 9 a.m.
- Mountain View station – 6:00 a.m. to 9:00 a.m.
- Sunnyvale station – 6 a.m. to 10 a.m.
- Santa Clara station – 6:30 a.m. to 9 a.m.
- San Jose Diridon station – 6:00 a.m. to 10:00 a.m.
For more information about bikes on SamTrans or Caltrain, visit
www.samtrans.com or www.caltrain.com.
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About Caltrain: Owned and operated by the Peninsula Corridor Joint Powers Board, Caltrain provides commuter rail service from San Francisco to San Jose, with limited commute service to Gilroy. Caltrain enjoyed five years of consecutive monthly ridership increases, surpassing more than 60,000 average weekday riders. While the Joint Powers Board assumed operating responsibilities for the service in 1992, the railroad celebrated 150 years of continuous passenger service in 2014. Planning for the next 150 years of Peninsula rail service, Caltrain is on pace to electrify the system, reduce diesel emissions by 97 percent by 2040 and add more service to more stations.
About SamTrans: SamTrans operates 79 routes throughout San Mateo County. Funded in part by a half-cent sales tax, the San Mateo County Transit District also provides administrative support for Caltrain and the San Mateo County Transportation Authority. SamTrans has provided bus service to San Mateo County customers since 1976.
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