Bikes on Pace Buses and the South Shore Line: Rules and Limits

Pace serves suburban routes by bus, and the South Shore Line runs to Indiana by rail. Both carry bikes, on rules that differ from the L and from each other.

Pace buses

All of Pace’s 30-foot and 40-foot fixed-route buses have bike racks.³ Bikes ride free.³ The rack holds 2 bikes, and the rear bike can be removed even if another bike is in front.³

Size and weight

Racks take bikes up to 55 pounds, with a wheelbase up to 44 inches, a tire width up to 2.3 inches, and wheels from 20 to 29 inches.³

Personal e-bikes may use the rack if they stay within the same limits.⁴ Divvy and similar bikeshare bikes are not allowed on Pace racks.⁴ You must be able to lift the bike yourself, because the driver cannot assist.³

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1. Remove loose items and anything that could block the driver’s view, such as baskets, panniers or crates.³
2. Approach the bus from the curb after it stops, and tell the driver before you reach the rack.³
3. Pull the bar down until the rack is fully deployed.³ Place the bike in the spot closest to the bus, with the front tire in the front-tire slot.³ Raise the support arm up and over the front tire.³
4. Rest the arm on the tire, not on the fender or frame.³

To unload, exit by the front door and take the bike off. Fold the rack up if no other bike is on it.³ Wait on the curb until the bus leaves before you cross the street.³

What Pace does not cover

Pace is not responsible for damage while a bike is loaded, unloaded or on the rack.³ You cannot lock the bike to the rack, and drivers cannot monitor bikes or who unloads them.³

Folding bikes

A bike that folds to about the size of a suitcase and weighs under 30 pounds may ride inside.³ It must be fully folded before boarding and stay folded.³ Folding e-bikes may ride inside if stowed and powered off.⁴ A personal e-bike that does not fold is not allowed inside a Pace bus.⁴ Paratransit buses have no exterior racks, so no bikes or e-bikes ride on them.⁴

South Shore Line

The South Shore Line is a commuter rail line run by the Northern Indiana Commuter Transportation District between Millennium Station and the South Bend International Airport.¹ Its bikes-on-trains program is year-round on all trains at designated bike stations.¹ The rules below come from the line’s page as captured in 2025.¹

Bike cars

Racks sit in specified cars, free of charge, first come, first served.¹ The cars carry a bike symbol on the windows.¹ The timetable marks bike-rack trains with bike icons.² Enter and leave through the center doors, and put the bike in a self-locking rack.¹

No additional fare applies to the bicycle.¹

Limits

• A bicycle means a standard two-wheel bike with a front tire no wider than 2.5 inches and a wheelbase of 46 inches or less.¹
• Recumbents, tricycles, tandems and kiddie or cargo trailers do not qualify.¹
• Bikes board and leave only at high-level platforms.¹
• Train crews have the final authority and may refuse a bike when the train is crowded.¹
• Space is not guaranteed on the first or return trip, late-night trains included.¹
• Crews do not handle bikes. Moving the bike in and out of the rack is your job.¹
• Bikes must be free of dirt and grease.¹
• Let passengers using mobility devices board and exit first.¹

Trains can move before your bike is in the rack. The line advises caution and says to push up on the self-locking mechanism to release the bike.¹ Do not ride on station platforms.¹

In an emergency evacuation, leave the bike on the train.¹

Event weekends

Bikes may be barred on special event weekends, including the Blues Festival, Taste of Chicago, Lollapalooza and the Air & Water Show.¹ The South Shore Line posts updates on its Service Updates page.¹

Stations

The program serves designated bike stations. In April 2024, when Bikes on Trains resumed after busing, the line listed new bike stations at 11th Street in Michigan City, Portage/Ogden Dunes and Miller.² Check the timetable before you choose a station.

Choosing between them

The CTA and Pace both allow folding bikes and have front racks on their buses.⁵ For the CTA rules, see bikes on CTA buses, and for Metra, see bikes on Metra. Start at the commuting hub for the rest.