My bike and I are in
and we’d like to be in
.
We show what transit connections accept bikes. Check with the operator for prices, schedules, and reservations.
Same place twice. You’re already there, so enjoy the ride.
Good news: buses, ferries, trains, rental cars and flights can carry you and your bike from Alert Bay to Merritt.
For scale
As the crow flies439 km
Biking whole way745 km · 47 h 30 m
By car817 km · 10 h 42 m
We found five ways to get you there, ferries doing the heavy lifting.
Note: Most carriers carry only a handful of bikes, and summer weekends fill up fast. Reserve where you can. Where you can't, go early or have a backup plan.
Option one · six legs⚠ doesn't run every day — check the schedule
Grab a window seat, the scenery's included.
CarrierRideYour bike
⛴️BC FerriesPort McNeill – Sointula – Alert BayAlert Bay (Cormorant Island) →Port McNeill14 kmRoll on, free — no reservation neededE-bikes OK — no charging on board
🚎BC Transit1/2 Port McNeill - Port HardyPort McNeill →Port Hardy33 kmRack on the bus, free — 2 bikes · first come, first servedE-bikes OK
Five trips a day on weekdays, two on Saturday, and no service on Sunday.
🚲Travel the short hop from Port Hardy to YZT (Port Hardy), about 10 km. If pedalling it doesn't appeal, Waivin Flags Taxi might help.
🚙National Car & Truck Rental (Vancouver Island)One-way rental: Port Hardy – Nanaimoor Budget (One-way rental: Port Hardy – Nanaimo) (counter a short ride away on the 20/20A Hammond Bay / Dover)YZT (Port Hardy) →Downtown Nanaimo295 kmOne-way between Island branches — no drop chargeBike rides inside — SUV or minivan, seats folded, wheels offConfirm one-way and vehicle when booking
🚲Travel the short hop from Downtown Nanaimo to Departure Bay (Nanaimo), about 1.3 km. If pedalling it doesn't appeal, A.C. Taxi, Yellow Cab Nanaimo might help.
⛴️BC FerriesHorseshoe Bay – Departure BayDeparture Bay (Nanaimo) →Horseshoe Bay53 kmRoll on, free — no reservation neededE-bikes OK — no charging on board
🚎TransLink257 Horseshoe Bay ExpressHorseshoe Bay →Downtown Vancouver (Dunsmuir at Cambie)19 kmRack on the bus, free2 bikes — first come, first servedE-bikes OK
🚌Rider ExpressVancouver – Calgary (Hwy 1)Downtown Vancouver (Dunsmuir at Cambie) →Merritt231 kmRides in the hold — bagged, wrapped, or boxed$50 per bike — non-refundable
🚲You arrive at Merritt.
Option two · six legs⚠ doesn't run every day — check the schedule
Same as Option one, but a SkyTrain instead of the city bus.
CarrierRideYour bike
⛴️BC FerriesPort McNeill – Sointula – Alert BayAlert Bay (Cormorant Island) →Port McNeill14 kmRoll on, free — no reservation neededE-bikes OK — no charging on board
🚎BC Transit1/2 Port McNeill - Port HardyPort McNeill →Port Hardy33 kmRack on the bus, free — 2 bikes · first come, first servedE-bikes OK
Five trips a day on weekdays, two on Saturday, and no service on Sunday.
🚲Travel the short hop from Port Hardy to YZT (Port Hardy), about 10 km.
🚙BudgetOne-way rental: Port Hardy – Nanaimoor National Car & Truck Rental (One-way rental: Port Hardy – Nanaimo) (counter a short ride away on the 20/20A Hammond Bay / Dover)YZT (Port Hardy) →Downtown Nanaimo298 kmOne-way between BC Budget branches — bookable onlineBike rides inside — SUV or minivan, seats folded, wheels offConfirm one-way and vehicle when booking
🚲Travel the short hop from Downtown Nanaimo to Hullo Nanaimo Terminal (Port Way), about 1.5 km.
⛴️HulloHullo (Nanaimo – Vancouver)Hullo Nanaimo Terminal (Port Way) →CXH (Vancouver)61 kmBook online ahead — 6 bike spots per sailing, 1 per guest$19.99 one way — $25 in personNo e-bikes — no trailers, 80 in / 50 lb max
🚲Travel the short hop from CXH (Vancouver) to Vancouver Canada Place, about 0.8 km. If pedalling it doesn't appeal, Black Top Cabs, Maclure'S Cabs might help.
🚝SkyTrainTransLinkVancouver Canada Place →Pacific Central Station (Vancouver)Roll on, free — 2 bikes per carAvoid rush hourE-bikes OK
🚌EbusVancouver – Kelownaor Ebus (Vancouver – Kamloops) or Ebus (Vancouver – Calgary (Hwy 1)) or Rider Express (Vancouver – Calgary)Pacific Central Station (Vancouver) →Merritt230 kmRides in the hold — bagged or cloth-wrapped (no plastic), or boxed$30 per bike
🚲You arrive at Merritt.
Option three · seven legs⚠ doesn't run every day — check the schedule
A little bit of everything.
CarrierRideYour bike
⛴️BC FerriesPort McNeill – Sointula – Alert BayAlert Bay (Cormorant Island) →Port McNeill14 kmRoll on, free — no reservation neededE-bikes OK — no charging on board
🚎BC Transit1/2 Port McNeill - Port HardyPort McNeill →Port Hardy33 kmRack on the bus, free — 2 bikes · first come, first servedE-bikes OK
Five trips a day on weekdays, two on Saturday, and no service on Sunday.
🚲Travel the short hop from Port Hardy to YZT (Port Hardy), about 10 km.
🚙BudgetOne-way rental: Port Hardy – Nanaimoor National Car & Truck Rental (One-way rental: Port Hardy – Nanaimo) (counter a short ride away on the 20/20A Hammond Bay / Dover)YZT (Port Hardy) →Downtown Nanaimo298 kmOne-way between BC Budget branches — bookable onlineBike rides inside — SUV or minivan, seats folded, wheels offConfirm one-way and vehicle when booking
🚲Travel the short hop from Downtown Nanaimo to Hullo Nanaimo Terminal (Port Way), about 1.5 km.
⛴️HulloHullo (Nanaimo – Vancouver)Hullo Nanaimo Terminal (Port Way) →CXH (Vancouver)61 kmBook online ahead — 6 bike spots per sailing, 1 per guest$19.99 one way — $25 in personNo e-bikes — no trailers, 80 in / 50 lb max
🚲Travel the short hop from CXH (Vancouver) to Vancouver Canada Place, about 0.8 km.
🚝SkyTrainTransLinkVancouver Canada Place →Lougheed Stn Bay 5 (Burnaby)Roll on, free — 2 bikes per carAvoid rush hourE-bikes OK
🚎BC Transit66 Fraser Valley ExpressLougheed Stn Bay 5 (Burnaby) →Downtown Chilliwack Bay B77 kmRack on the bus, free — 2 bikes · first come, first servedE-bikes OK
🚲Travel the short hop from Downtown Chilliwack Bay B to Chilliwack, about 1.3 km. If pedalling it doesn't appeal, Chilliwack Taxi might help.
🚌Rider ExpressVancouver – Calgary (Hwy 1)Chilliwack →Merritt139 kmRides in the hold — bagged, wrapped, or boxed$50 per bike — non-refundable
🚲You arrive at Merritt.
Option four · seven legs⚠ doesn't run every day — check the schedule
The same idea as Option three, on different routes.
CarrierRideYour bike
⛴️BC FerriesPort McNeill – Sointula – Alert BayAlert Bay (Cormorant Island) →Port McNeill14 kmRoll on, free — no reservation neededE-bikes OK — no charging on board
🚎BC Transit1/2 Port McNeill - Port HardyPort McNeill →Port Hardy33 kmRack on the bus, free — 2 bikes · first come, first servedE-bikes OK
Five trips a day on weekdays, two on Saturday, and no service on Sunday.
🚲Travel the short hop from Port Hardy to YZT (Port Hardy), about 10 km.
🚙BudgetOne-way rental: Port Hardy – NanaimoYZT (Port Hardy) →Downtown Nanaimo298 kmOne-way between BC Budget branches — bookable onlineBike rides inside — SUV or minivan, seats folded, wheels offConfirm one-way and vehicle when booking
🚲Travel the short hop from Downtown Nanaimo to Hullo Nanaimo Terminal (Port Way), about 1.5 km.
⛴️HulloHullo (Nanaimo – Vancouver)Hullo Nanaimo Terminal (Port Way) →CXH (Vancouver)61 kmBook online ahead — 6 bike spots per sailing, 1 per guest$19.99 one way — $25 in personNo e-bikes — no trailers, 80 in / 50 lb max
🚲Travel the short hop from CXH (Vancouver) to Vancouver Canada Place, about 0.8 km.
🚝SkyTrainTransLinkVancouver Canada Place →Lougheed Stn Bay 5 (Burnaby)Roll on, free — 2 bikes per carAvoid rush hourE-bikes OK
🚎BC Transit66 Fraser Valley Express (FVX)Lougheed Stn Bay 5 (Burnaby) →Abbotsford50 kmRack on the bus, free — 2 bikes · first come, first servedE-bikes OK
🚌Rider ExpressVancouver – Calgary (Hwy 1)Abbotsford →Merritt166 kmRides in the hold — bagged, wrapped, or boxed$50 per bike — non-refundable
🚲You arrive at Merritt.
Option five · six legs✈ the splurge⚠ doesn't run every day — check the schedule
The long way round, but it works.
CarrierRideYour bike
⛴️BC FerriesPort McNeill – Sointula – Alert BayAlert Bay (Cormorant Island) →Port McNeill14 kmRoll on, free — no reservation neededE-bikes OK — no charging on board
🚎BC Transit1/2 Port McNeill - Port HardyPort McNeill →Port Hardy33 kmRack on the bus, free — 2 bikes · first come, first servedE-bikes OK
Five trips a day on weekdays, two on Saturday, and no service on Sunday.
🚲Travel the short hop from Port Hardy to YZT (Port Hardy), about 10 km.
✈️Pacific Coastal AirlinesVancouver – Port HardyYZT (Port Hardy) →Vancouver Airport (YVR) (Richmond)343 kmRides in the hold — small aircraft, limited spaceAbout $105 per directionNo e-bikes
✈️Flair AirlinesVancouver (YVR) – Calgary (YYC)Vancouver Airport (YVR) (Richmond) →Calgary AB683 kmRides in the hold — boxed, bagged, or wrappedBike feeReserve bike spotNo e-bikes
✈️Flair AirlinesAbbotsford (YXX) – Calgary (YYC)Calgary AB →Abbotsford Airport634 kmRides in the hold — boxed, bagged, or wrappedBike feeReserve bike spotNo e-bikes
🚌EbusVancouver – Calgary (Hwy 1)Abbotsford Airport →Merritt172 kmRides in the hold — bagged or cloth-wrapped (no plastic), or boxed$30 per bike
Runs the same Highway 1 corridor as Rider Express, so compare schedules and fares.
🚲You arrive at Merritt.
Route facts last checked July 2026. We check that every leg here carries bikes, but policies and seasons change. Check times and book with the operator. Something wrong or out of date? Tell us and we'll fix it.
Explore more
Heading back: Merritt to Alert Bay (best: bus + ferry + rental car)
Connections from Alert Bay: Port Hardy (best: ferry + bus) · Ocean Falls (best: ferry + bus) · Vancouver (best: ferry + bus + rental car) · New Hazelton (best: ferry + bus)
Connections from Merritt: Kamloops (best: bus) · Richmond (best: bus + SkyTrain) · Golden (best: bus) · Haida Gwaii (best: bus + ferry)