Community Toolkit > Transportation > Transportation Reduction > Bikes on Buses

Rack 'n Roll Bikes on Buses Program

Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania

Community Profile: Nestled in the corner of Southwestern Pennsylvania, Pittsburgh proper has a modest population of 334,500, however the number of individuals living in the area swells to a hefty 2.3 million when considering the metropolitan areas. The mayor oversees the city’s nine elected council members.

Project Description: In 2001, Pittsburgh launched its Rack ‘n Roll program in order to promote bicycling as an alternative mode of transportation. The idea for the project came about as a result of a deliberative partnership between several outdoor recreation groups, Sustainable Pittsburgh, the City of Pittsburgh, and the Port Authority of Allegheny County.

Project Steps:

1. Using some of they key principles of Richard Florida’s The Rise of the Creative Class (2002), these groups, working with the Pittsburgh Downtown Partnership, identified three attributes important to the revitalization of Pittsburgh: talent, creativity, and retention. In considering what ammenties and recreational programs might be the most beneficial in terms of increasing the quality of life in Pittsburgh (and in turn attracting additional talent to the area), the partnership arrived at the idea of equipping city buses with bicycle racks as a means of increasing bike ridership in the city.
2. The partnership then sponsored study groups. The findings revealed that other communities around the country had implemented similar “bikes-on-buses” programs and met great success.
3. The partnership contacted the Port Authority, which was very receptive to the idea—so receptive in fact that they agreed to take care of the installation and maintenance of the bike racks.
4. Sustainable Pittsburgh took on the role of project facilitator.
5. The program came to life with a grant from the Richard King Mellon Foundation, which provided for 75 bus-bike racks on eight Port Authority of Allegheny County bus routes. The bike racks are manufactured by Sportworks.
6. Three years later, a $290,150 grant from the Southwestern Pennsylvania Commission under the Federal Transportation Enhancement Program—a federal program which mandates that a state set aside 10 percent of its Surface Transportation Program funds for creative transportation enhancement projects—further bolstered the success of the Rack ‘n Roll program by providing for more bike racks.

In October of 2006, the Port Authority of Allegheny Country announced plans to expand the Rack ‘n Roll program from 150 bus-bike racks to 350. There are currently 361 rack-equipped buses in service, which run on 12 city routes. The program is now managed by the Port Authority, which plans to continue expanding the Rack ‘n Roll program.

Read the Port Authority of Alleghany County’s Press Release.

Costs and Benefits:

• A $70,000 grant from the Richard King Melon Foundation provided for the first 75 bike racks
• A second $290,150 grant from the Southwestern Pennsylvania Commission under the Federal Transportation Enhancement Program went towards expanding the number of bike rack-equipped buses, in addition to providing for maintenance of the program

Contacts:

Carmen Bray
Port Authority of Allegheny County
Media Relations Department
345 Sixth Avenue / Third Floor
Pittsburgh, PA 15222-2527
Phone: (412) 566-5137
Fax: (412) 566-5111
cbray@portauthority.org

Court Gould, Executive Director
Sustainable Pittsburgh
425 Sixth Avenue, Suite 1335
Pittsburgh, PA 15219
Phone: (412) 258-6643
Fax:  (412) 258-6645
cgould@sustainablepittsburgh.org
www.sustainablepittsburgh.org

Downloads to Use as Templates:

Press Release 1

Press Release 2

Sustainable Pittsburgh Press Release

Information:

Rack ‘n Roll Informational Pamphlet

Federal Transportation Enhancement Program

Links:

Bikes on Transit Database

Sustainable Pittsburgh

Pittsburgh Downtown Partnership

Bike Pittsburgh, Inc.

Southwestern Pennsylvania Commission

Richard King Mellon Foundation

Creative Class Group

Sportworks

Other Communities

Rhode Island:

• Rhode Island Public Transit Authority’s Rack ‘n Ride Program

New York:

• Rockland County Department of Public Transportation new Bike-on-bus program

Vermont:

• Chittenden County Transportation Authority buses have a bike-friendly policy.