Bike rack use withdrawn from regional Waikato bus services

The Bus and Coach Association (BCA) and its members who operate contracted bus services in the Waikato region, have issued a national notice to temporarily withdraw the use of bicycle racks on buses.

It follows a safety alert recently published by NZ Transport Agency Waka Kotahi (NZTA) stating that operators with bike racks on the front of buses are non-compliant with safety rules at night.

All bike racks on buses on the Waikato Regional Council’s public transport network will be temporarily unavailable from the commencement of services on Saturday (9 November) until further notice is given.

While no bike racks will be physically removed from buses, members of the public will be unable to use the racks until this matter is resolved.

The council regrets the impact this decision might have for the small number of passengers who use this facility, but its focus remains on the safety and wellbeing of passengers and frontline public transport staff.

Bike racks are only mounted on buses operating on Waikato regional bus routes and not on the urban Hamilton network. Carriage of bikes on Te Huia is not affected.

The council will be working proactively with its regional council partners, operators, the Bus and Coach Association and NZTA to resolve this matter as soon as possible.