Bringing You Home with Bikes and Buses: Real People. Real Stories.

Kelvin shares his story on the benefits of combining bikes and buses on his commute.

Bringing You Home with Bikes and Buses from Community Transit on Vimeo.

Do you want to commute by bus, but think that getting to and from the bus is just too much trouble? We get it. That first or last mile of the commute is always the hardest part of the trip to figure out. Instead of being dependent on your car, and being stuck in traffic, think beyond four wheels.

Remember how much fun it was to ride a bike as a kid? It's still fun! Adding a bike to your trip can make all the difference to having a commute you enjoy, without having to sacrifice your independence or flexibility. Meet Kelvin, who has found that combining bikes and buses shortens his commute and keeps his body healthy.

Kelvin used to commute exclusively by bike for many years from his home in Edmonds to his job at Edmonds Community College. A move to Stanwood several years ago transformed his commute into one that is truly multimodal. Each morning Kelvin drives his car to Stanwood Park & Ride and takes Route 422 to Lynnwood Park & Ride where he keeps his bike in a secure bike locker. From there he bikes to the college. Kelvin says by combining bikes and buses, he saves a significant amount of time, "In the morning it's about a 45 minute commute, a little longer heading home. If I was driving it would be an hour in the morning, and probably closer to two hours at night."

Wondering how Kelvin gets around if he needs to attend a meeting or run an errand? Why by bike and bus, of course! Only this time, he uses Swift Bus Rapid Transit. "If I have a meeting in Mukilteo, I can take the Swift bus up to Lincoln Station and from Lincoln Station hop on my bike and ride pretty quickly down Mukilteo Speedway. It's a very effective and efficient ride." Kelvin loves the innovative bike racks on the Swift, too, "You just roll the front wheel up this ramp and there's a shock absorber holder that comes down on the top of the wheel and it automatically locks it in place as you roll your front tire up the rack. They are quick and easy to use."

Using a bike locker means you won't have to worry about the bike racks being full. Kelvin says, "Community Transit has these beautiful, stainless steel lockers, they're very secure, it puts your bike out of the weather, it gives you a place to store your wet rain gear, your helmet and stuff that you need daily. Lockers are $60 a year which is very reasonable and it guarantees you a place to safely store your bike on a daily basis and that's given me flexibility."

Combining bikes and buses gives Kelvin 20 minutes of a great workout each day, without having to hit the gym, "I got into biking because I felt motivated to get healthier and wanted a little more exercise and biking is great exercise from the standpoint of cardio and just building energy, strength, and endurance. Incorporating it into the commute is a way of getting that daily without extending a day. I love having that as part of my commute."

Let us help make your commute happier and healthier by bringing you home with bikes and buses. For resources on how to use our bike racks, how to secure a bike locker, and trail maps of the area, visit www.communitytransit.org/bikes.

What part of your commute is holding you back? Are you excited to see if a bike may be the ticket to fun and flexibility?