Postbus: 88 percent of bikes transported are bikes!

As mountain biking is becoming increasingly important in tourism, PostBus wanted to know how often bikers in Graubünden ride on public transport. The result: around 26'000 bikes were transported by PostBus from June to October 2014. Around 88 percent of these bikes are mountain bikes!

In the canton of Graubünden, around 75 percent of public transport journeys can be attributed to leisure travel. How many of these percentages are generated by bike tourism is not statistically proven. However, with around 4000 kilometers of signposted routes, Graubünden is the leading bike region in Switzerland. For the first time, PostBus recorded the number of bikes transported in detail during this year's peak season. The result: from the beginning of June to the end of October, 25,860 bikes were taken by their owners on PostBus - that's more than 170 per day.

August was the busiest month of the summer and fall season with a good 7,000 bikes. Mountain bikers accounted for the largest share - 88 percent - followed by everyday cyclists, racing cyclists, e-bikers and scooter riders. Despite the cool and damp summer weather, bike transportation increased on some routes. This was the case between Chur and Lenzerheide and in the Thusis region. In Prättigau, on the other hand, the perceived need was lower than in previous years.

In order to identify a trend and also to quantify the effects of the canton's GraubündenBIKE funding project, PostBus will carry out another survey in the 2015 season and then examine any necessary measures together with the canton.

Super trailer: Relief thanks to hydraulics
One of the measures to be able to transport more bicycles and bikes in future is already being implemented. To ensure that bikes can be loaded and unloaded as quickly as possible in scheduled services, PostBus deployed a bike porter in Graubünden from June to October as a pilot test. The trailer developed with graubündenBIKE and Mayer AG in Trimmis (Ride reported) was sent on a test tour on various routes that are well frequented by cyclists.

Positive interim results
PostBus is now drawing a positive interim balance. From June to October, the bike porter transported around 300 bicycles through the Central Grisons region. It covered around 2000 kilometers in the process. The 2.5 meter wide and 3.7 meter high bike porter can hold 15 bikes and also e-bikes and can still be loaded and unloaded quickly. Thanks to two platforms that can be lowered and moved hydraulically, even the heavy e-bikes do not have to be lifted onto the rear carrier or into the trailer by their owners using muscle power.

Pilot test is extended
The aim was that if a group of bikers wanted to transport their bikes at a stop, self-loading should take less than a minute thanks to the bike porter. In scheduled services, it is essential that loading and unloading takes place as quickly as possible. This goal could not always be achieved in this first season, as the rather high weight of the trailer - 2.4 tons - and the still too slow hydraulics of the two platforms hampered the flow of operations. Passengers needed more time to load. This is partly because many bikes have very wide handlebars and tires, making it more difficult to secure the bikes.

During operation, PostBus has evaluated possible improvements and will work with its partners over the winter to adapt the trailer accordingly. The poor weather conditions during the summer made more extensive use impossible, so those responsible are extending the test phase to 2015 in order to obtain more meaningful results. After the second test phase in spring and summer 2015, a decision will be made as to whether the bike porter will go into series production and be used in other regions of Switzerland.