Omaha Bus Transit Authority - Bike Racks Operational Today

Today was MAT's first day of operation with the new Sportworks bus-mounted bicycle racks.

I rode my bike to work this morning, but in the afternoon, I put my bike on a rack and rode the bus. It felt weird riding my bike from my office to the bus stop in my business casual attire, with no helmet, but I wanted to test the whole urban bike/bus thing. Instead of getting off at the stop nearest my home, I got off at the neighborhood grocery store and picked up a few supplies before riding home. If I do this again, I will be sure to wear an elastic band to tie my pant leg.

I followed the instructions online from the MAT web site, placing my bike on the inside position, but as I was racking the bike, the driver knocked on the window and motioned me to put the bike on the outside position. He told me the reason was so that they could more easily see the end of the rack for judging distance.

In all, this was a great success. I will be curious to see how many people use the bike racks. The big advantage I can see is using the bus if weather turns foul, or if an errand to an out of the way place is needed.