Bike Carriage on Regional Buses: Multimodal Connectivity in Burgenland
Enhance regional mobility by bridging the gap between cycling and public transport. This pilot in Burgenland, Austria, tests bike carriage solutions on regional bus lines to increase multimodal journeys. By integrating bike racks on key routes, the project offers a seamless transition for commuters and tourists alike, making sustainable travel a viable choice for longer distances.
Overcome gap of bicycle carriage on regional bus lines
Testing bike racks on regional buses to improve multimodal access in Burgenland, Austria.
Implementing bike carriage
Deployment of bike racks on bus service connecting Graz with southern Burgenland.
Comprehensive stakeholder involvement
Service relaunch in March 2026 for the full cycling season.
Bike racks are only half the battle
Successful implementation requires deep cooperation with all relevant stakeholders.
Overcome gap of bicycle carriage on regional bus lines
Regional bus lines often do not offer bicycle carriage options, although there is a growing demand of public transport passengers – especially related to bicycle tourism - to bring their own bikes to the destination. The reasons for the bus operators' reluctance to offer this service are manyfold: lack of knowledge about existing solutions, lack of capacity to carry bikes, concerns about service reliability, insurance issues, etc.
Solution implemented: Implementing bike carriage
The pilot implemented two different bike carriage systems on a major bus line, each offering easy lift options for five bikes, including e-bikes. Beyond hardware, the solution focused on a comprehensive communication strategy involving the Mobility Center, bus operators, and tourism boards. This included social media outreach, website updates, and specific incentives like weekend vouchers to encourage target groups to test the new service.
Results achieved: Comprehensive stakeholder involvement
The practice is considered "good" because it builds on a comprehensive stakeholder involvement strategy. Besides a profound analysis of the solutions currently available on the market, the pilot aimed at involving all relevant stakeholders from the very beginning. Political backing supported the discussion with the regional bus operator. Whereas these discussions were focused on the management level at the beginning, it turned out that engaging bus drivers and bus driver unions is crucial for the success of the pilot. Besides all efforts taken, the number of cyclists using the service was rather limited in the first phase. During the evaluation, several possibilities for improvement were identified. The most important were loading and unloading of bikes only at selected bus stops to ensure reliability of service, an improved information package (incl. videos) for passengers and drivers, and stronger cooperation with tourism to promote the services. By aligning the service relaunch (March 2026) with the start of the cycling season and updating timetables, the service better reflects the requirements of cyclists and gives higher appreciation to the concerns of bus drivers.
Lessons learned: Bike racks are only half the battle
The primary takeaway is that physical infrastructure, bike racks are only half the battle; the "main problem" identified was communication. Sufficient time must be allocated for coordination with bus operators, from the management level to bus drivers, as well as call centre agents. For other regions to succeed, they should prioritize early multi-stakeholder collaboration and ensure that the service is promoted through existing tourism and local mobility networks to reach the intended audience.
Cross Links
Contact: Mobility Center Burgenland / Business Agency Burgenland
Publications: https://www.verkehrsbetriebe-burgenland.at/tickets-tarife/fahrradmitnahme
https://www.b-mobil.info/de/projekte/news/detail/kostenlose-fahrradmitnahme-auf-der-linie-b2
The project Active2Public Transport is supported by the Interreg Danube Region Programme project co-funded by the European Union. The project was initiated by the Austrian Federal Ministry of Innovation, Mobility and Infrastructure (BMIMI), Department II/6 in cooperation with klimaaktiv mobil – the Austrian Federal climate protection initiative on sustainable mobility.