Another reason to skip Amtrak and Delta

A new bus between U Street NW and Brooklyn, NY will allow free on-board bike storage. I know many people have said they got their bikes on the buses before, and I took a folding bike to/from Rehobeth, but It's nice to see it explicitly stated.

Comments

[Piso Mojado]

What is with Amtrak and their anti-bike stance?

I tried to bring a bike on the train at Union Station to ride in a century in NYC last month and was planning to stay at a friend's house in NJ. I had booked a train ticket to Newark only to learn the night before that you cant check a bike as luggage (only carry-on is allowed to Newark). The only place you can check a bike is from DC to NYC or to Boston.

If I wanted to bring my bike on the train, I would have to remove the pedals (which is always a bitch), remove the handlebars, and pack it in a cardboard bike box (who has one of those laying around?).

And then I'd have to take the train all the way in to Penn Station, wait for the boxed bike to be brought to me, lug it and my carry-on luggage to the NJ Transit platforms to catch a train to Newark, which we passed on the way into the city.

Needless to say, I drove my car to Jersey and refunded my Amtrak ticket. I spoke to Amtrak and they told me that only the trains out west allow you to take a fully assembled bike on the train. When I lived in Europe, I took my bike on trains all the time. Didn't have to rent a car when I got there and enjoyed the scenery on two wheels.

We have a long way to go in this country in being green and encouraging people not to take their cars. Can someone get Biden to fix this Amtrak bike-barrier policy?