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FAQ
Explore our most frequently asked questions about bikes on transit
General FAQ
Many cities publish detailed bike maps of their bike routes, and there are regional and state maps as well. Various apps also can help you plan bike travel. You may want to use some time when traffic is light to try several different ways to bike to your usual destination. If you work for a large employer, you may have a commute program that includes bike resources and a buddy who'll ride with you.
Metro is actively planning improvements in how bikes and transit work together. Metro's long-range plan, METRO CONNECTS, envisions significant growth in biking and walking as ways that people will reach transit as described in the plan's Connecting to Transit section. Metro coordinates its bike and pedestrian planning with local cities and Sound Transit, and serves on the Puget Sound Regional Council’s Bicycle and Pedestrian Advisory Committee.
Metro has been awarded grants to help several of King County’s cities build safe bike and walk connections to transit, and in the coming years, Metro will add more bike parking at transit locations.
Follow the directions on our Lost and Found page. If the bike is found it will be tagged and you’ll get a case number with instructions on where and how to pick it up. Bikes will be held for 10 days. Once you have a case number, you may authorize someone else to make the pickup for you. Remember that Metro is not responsible for your property.
First, contact our Lost and Found to see if it’s been found.
Also, register your bike on BikeIndex.org, file a police report in the city where you think the theft occurred, check re-sale shops and sites like Goodwill, Craigslist or OfferUp, and post on Twitter, neighborhood blogs and other sites where neighbors and police may be able to keep an eye open for your bike. Remember that Metro is not responsible for your property.
The policy for scooters inside the bus is the same as the policy for bikes: only those that can be folded are permitted. Folding bicycles and folding scooters are allowed on the bus, provided they can be safely stowed out of the aisle. The customer must ensure that wheels and other frame extrusions such as pedals are stored in one compact form and do not pose a danger to customers.
In any case, the bus driver’s judgment prevails if the bus is crowded or if the item is causing an issue of safety or discomfort to passengers.
As of June 22, 2019, the service to carry extra bikes on SR 520 out-of-service buses had to end because the Montlake freeway stops on SR 520 (eastbound and westbound) closed permanently for long-term WSDOT construction.
When construction finishes in several years, new transit stops will be located on a future Montlake lid over the freeway. If you travel SR 520 on Metro or Sound Transit buses—with or without a bike—please check Trip Planner in this area.
Learn more about SR 520 Montlake construction
Bike rack FAQ
The bus bike racks fit standard adult bikes. Read the size and weight limits for bikes.
No. The e-assist bike share bikes exceed the rack’s weight limit of 55 pounds per rack position. Please find another bike share bike at the end of your transit trip and save the rack spaces for personal bikes.
Park it in a bike locker or bike cage at a transit facility if you don't need to ride it at the other end of your transit trip.
The hook needs to be able to sit over the top of the wheel, close to the frame. If your basket or rack would prevent that secure position, you may not be able to use the rack. You don’t want your bike to fall off!
There are several models of racks, but all work in a similar way. Look for the label on an available slot showing which direction to face your front wheel—toward the curb or toward the street. Then set your bike in the slot. Pull the support arm straight out and up over the top of the wheel with the hook resting on your wheel or fender as close to the frame as possible.
Stand on the curb and face your front wheel toward the curb. Lift your bike and roll the back wheel into the track. Release the support arm and extend it over the front wheel, setting it at the top of the wheel next to the frame.
See how to use the middle slot of the bike rack
If the hook on the middle slot faces the street, stand in the street at the centerline of the bus. Do not stand in the line of moving traffic. Lift your bike at a 90 degree angle to the front of the bus with the back wheel toward the bus. Swing the back wheel past the first bike and set the back wheel in the slot without the hook. Set the front wheel near the hook. Pull out the hook and extend the support arm over the front wheel.
The slot farthest from the bus gives the driver the best view of the rack in use. The driver knows to leave extra space between the bus and a vehicle ahead of it. The outside space is also the easiest access for the bike rider.
If you don't need your bike at the end of your transit trip, consider parking it at your transit stop instead of traveling with it.
Thank you for your concern but don't worry! Remember that while you're loading your bike, other passengers are getting on the bus. Most of the time you'll just be getting on right after them. To test the racks before your first ride, check out ways to practice.
Secure bike parking FAQ
Check the list of locker locations to see whether Metro or Sound Transit operates that location. Then follow the instructions to find out about availability and arrange for a locker. Availability changes often, so we don’t publish wait lists.
Yes! King County Metro has secure on-demand bike lockers that are available to rent at many locations. You can download the BikeLink™ app (iOS/Android) or order a BikeLink™ card to access the on-demand lockers.
If there are no on-demand lockers where you need them, you can request to add new lockers at that location by contacting metrobikes@kingcounty.gov.
A reservation feature is not currently available, but you can look at the BikeLink map to see continually refreshed openings (click on a location which opens a window about the site’s status). So far we have plenty of lockers available at the places they’re installed.
Nearly all lockers are not big enough for an oversized bike. The lockers are meant to store only an standard adult bike and some gear (helmet, bike clothing, shoes and bike tools).
The interior is wedge-shaped due to a diagonal divider, about 75" long by 26" wide by 46" tall at the door end, narrowing to about 5" inches at the back (load with handlebars at the door end).
Note: 2 Link stations have lockers that are full rectangles with interior dimensions of 84" by 34". The U-District station lockers are full rectangles built into the wall at both the Brooklyn Ave NE and the NE 43rd St entrances. The UW Husky Stadium station also has lockers that are full rectangles on the lower level.
You can store a standard adult bike and some gear like a helmet, bike tools, bike clothing and shoes. Lockers have no floors, so your other items will rest on the ground unless you hang them from your bike.
Metro has considered cages but decided they’re not well-suited to our locations. Sound Transit has several bike cages now, and more are designed into some of the future Link stations opening in the next few years.
Bike lockers are provided only for transit customers to store their bike (or scooter) and gear when connecting to transit. It is a violation of your agreement to use the locker in place of home or work storage.
For bike parking at home or work, ask your residential or commercial property manager or find out if your employer has an employee transportation coordinator who can assist you.
We have had leased (keyed) lockers since the mid-1990s. They are popular but only 1 person has access to each locker. If that person doesn’t bike on a particular day, the locker sits empty.
As we add new lockers we’re moving to the on-demand style to make parking available to more people at more times. Customers also have flexibility to use any on-demand bike locker in the BikeLink system.
Email Metro at metrobikes@kingcounty.gov to make your suggestion. We’ll consider factors such as demand, cost and space at the location.
Several factors contribute to our location decisions. These factors involve trade-offs, so we do the best we can!
- lack of current secure bike parking
- over-crowded car parking
- bike access to the location
- high-demand for bikes on buses
- leased locker wait list
- transit ridership
- geographic distribution across our system
- property ownership and available space
- funding
Equity is a critical to all our decisions. We support biking as an affordable mode of travel, which combines with transit to expand where and when someone can get where they need to go.
On-demand bike lockers are more affordable and accessible for a wider range of users than leased lockers. They’re low cost, they don’t require a long-term commitment, and a user can park at any location.
Together, Metro and Sound Transit are distributing these lockers widely so that they are convenient to many more people than in the past.
Metro does want to encourage biking and walking to our service. Open bike racks are available at every park-and-ride/transit center at no charge.
Bike lockers have value as separate secure spaces for each bike and the on-demand lockers are set at a very inexpensive pay-as-you go price of 5¢ per hour without commitment. This system gives users flexibility and encourages turn-over to increase availability.