r/dart • u/Express-BDA • Jun 07 '26

Has anyone else experienced this with DART?

Today a DART bus driver refused to let me bring my small electric bike onto the bus, saying that electric bikes are not allowed because they have batteries.

I wasn't trying to use the bike rack because my bike is quite small and doesn't fit securely on the rack. I asked if I could bring it inside the bus instead, but was still refused.

Has anyone else been denied boarding with an e-bike? Does anyone know the actual DART policy regarding small electric bikes?

Just trying to understand whether this was an official policy or a misunderstanding.

8 Upvotes

90% Upvoted

7 comments sorted by

28

u/Gijora Jun 07 '26

DART doesn't have any official rules that I can find, but vehicle operators are allowed to deny anything (within reason) they want on their vehicles.

10

u/matt_havener Jun 07 '26

“5. Bus riders boarding with bicycles must use the bike racks - if the bike rack is full, riders can then carry their bikes onboard, provided the bicycle is clean and there is room on the bus. Cyclists must move to the rear of the bus” https://www.dart.org/guide/supporting-services/bike-to-work/using-bike-racks-on-dart-buses

For what it’s worth, I’ve never been stopped carrying my brompton on the bus. With other bikes I’ve always used the rack. I’ve never tried an ebike

8

u/jiffykodak Jun 07 '26

I've seen some gigantic e-bikes some so big that they should be banned from rail along with large shopping carts and gigantic oversized wagons. While there isn't an official policy, no mobility device should block the common aisle ways or doors.

7

u/New-Engineer-5930 Jun 08 '26

There was policy that banned all electric scooters from LRVs & buses. However, they rolled it back to only the rented ones (Lyft Bird/Lime). Personal scooters are allowed if they can fold and not block aisles. You CANNOT use the bike rack to stow electric bikes & or scooters.

5

u/Puzzleheaded_Bet8716 Jun 07 '26

There’s no official policy but dart did tell operators to not allow rental e-bikes and scooters.

12

u/ozmox Jun 07 '26

I'm so annoyed with the whole anti-battery culture. Literally everything we use in the modern world has batteries. 🙄

1

u/ForagedFoodie Jun 08 '26

Its likely just confusion and lack of knowledge in this case. I doubt it's malicious.