NICE Bus launches bike and ride program

Cyclists in Nassau County will have an easier time taking the bus, thanks to a new program from NICE Bus.

NICE (Nassau Inter-County Express) is now outfitting its 60-foot buses with front-end bicycle racks on selected routes.

The initial phase of the Bike & Ride program installed front-end racks, which hold two bicycles, on buses that run the weekday n6Xpress Hempstead Turnpike route, connecting the Hempstead Transit Center to the Jamaica bus terminal in Queens. On weekends, NICE n88 buses, which serve Jones Beach from both the Hempstead Transit Center and the Freeport Long Island Rail Road station, will offer the bike-rack service.

Each bike rack holds two adult-sized bicycles, though child-sized bikes or motorized bikes are not allowed. There is no additional charge to use the racks. Riders must load and unload the bikes themselves as drivers are not allowed to leave the bus to assist, and a customer how-to brochure will be provided on the routes.

“The flexibility of a bicycle combined with the speed and comfort of the NICE Bus will make a great alternative to the car,” Mindy German of Transit Solutions, a federally funded advocacy group, said in a written statement. “This is a great step towards reducing traffic and improving air quality on Long Island.”