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Bicycles to gain space on buses
By SAUNDRA AMRHEIN, Times Staff Writer Starting next month in Pasco County, your bicycle can hitch a ride with you on the bus. You won't have to worry about finding it a seat. As with similar programs in place in Pinellas and Hillsborough counties, the bicycles will be placed on a rack attached to the front of a Pasco County Public Transportation (PCPT) bus. All 24 buses in the Pasco system are scheduled to be fit with the racks on April 27, said transportation manager Mike Carroll. The buses should be ready to start taking their new two-wheeled passengers around May 1. "It increases the whole spectrum of bus use for people," Carroll said. "It's easier to get to the stops (on a bike) and easier to go from where the bus stop ends and continue on with your travels." The PCPT plans to ask the County Commission on Tuesday to implement a permit process to allow bus riders to bring their bikes along. The commission's meeting starts at 9:30 a.m. and will be held in the Historic Pasco County Courthouse in Dade City. The Bikes on Buses permit will cost $2, and users must watch a "how-to" video and receive some bike-loading instruction. Two bikes can fit on the bus racks at one time. If the racks are occupied, riders with bikes must wait for the next bus. Carroll said the PCPT knows the demand exists in Pasco for bike passes because some of the 1,500 daily riders have called about it. Others take matters into their own hands. "Some people already using the service are attaching bicycles to some of the bus stop sign posts until they come back," he said.
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