BC Cycle Tourism Society

To and Fro: moving your bike around British Columbia

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 can carry you and your bike from Merritt to Fernie.

For scale
As the crow flies416 km
Biking whole way806 km ยท 49 h
By car746 km ยท 8 h 14 m

We found three ways to get you there.

๐ŸŽ’ Riding a coach? Most BC coach operators want your bike bagged or boxed. Our field note walks through packing it, including an inexpensive packable bike bag we like: How to bike-and-bus in BC ›
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 · three legs⚠ doesn't run every day — check the schedule
Halfway across the province, no car required.
CarrierRideYour bike
๐ŸšŒEbusVancouver โ€“ Calgary (Hwy 1)or Rider Express (Vancouver โ€“ Calgary (Hwy 1))Merritt โ†’Golden336 kmRides in the hold โ€” 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.
๐ŸšŽBC Transit36 Golden โ€“ Cranbrook Connector (Health Connections)Golden โ†’Cranbrook223 kmFront rack, no fee โ€” 2 bikes, first come; space not guaranteedE-bikes under 25 kg only โ€” lithium battery off the bike and carried on board
Health Connections bus: medical patients get priority. You must call ahead to book a seat. Runs Tuesday and Thursday only.
๐ŸšŽBC TransitElkford โ€“ Cranbrook (Health Connections)Cranbrook โ†’9th Ave at 19th St (Fernie)50 kmFront rack, no fee โ€” 2 bikes, first come; space not guaranteedE-bikes under 25 kg only โ€” lithium battery off the bike and carried on board
Health Connections bus: medical patients get priority. You must call ahead to book a seat. Runs Wednesday and Friday only.
๐ŸšฒYou arrive at 9th Ave at 19th St (Fernie).
Option two · two legs📅 seasonal
The coach takes care of the long stretch.
CarrierRideYour bike
๐ŸšŒEbusVancouver โ€“ Calgary (Hwy 1)or Rider Express (Vancouver โ€“ Calgary (Hwy 1))Merritt โ†’Calgary AB551 kmRides in the hold โ€” 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.
๐ŸšŒTunnel49Fernie โ€“ Calgary Airportor Mountain Man Mike's (Kaslo โ€“ Cranbrook โ€“ Calgary (weekly)) (doesn't run every day)Calgary AB โ†’9th Ave at 19th St (Fernie)185 kmRides in the hold โ€” boxed, bagged, or wrappedBike fee โ€” $50 + GST per bike bag on the Calgary shuttle; Cranbrook might be extra
Tunnel49: A winter ski shuttle: Wednesdays and Saturdays, mid-December to late March. Other times need a six-passenger custom booking. Bike bags $50 plus GST.
Mountain Man Mike's: The only ground service between Cranbrook and Calgary; weekly, eastbound Monday and westbound Tuesday.
๐ŸšฒYou arrive at 9th Ave at 19th St (Fernie).
Option three · three legs⚠ doesn't run every day — check the schedule
Same as Option one, but a coach bus instead of the city bus.
CarrierRideYour bike
๐ŸšŒEbusVancouver โ€“ Calgary (Hwy 1)or Rider Express (Vancouver โ€“ Calgary (Hwy 1))Merritt โ†’Golden336 kmRides in the hold โ€” 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.
๐ŸšŽBC Transit36 Golden โ€“ Cranbrook Connector (Health Connections)Golden โ†’Cranbrook223 kmFront rack, no fee โ€” 2 bikes, first come; space not guaranteedE-bikes under 25 kg only โ€” lithium battery off the bike and carried on board
Health Connections bus: medical patients get priority. You must call ahead to book a seat. Runs Tuesday and Thursday only.
๐ŸšŒMountain Man Mike'sKaslo โ€“ CalgaryCranbrook โ†’9th Ave at 19th St (Fernie)50 kmBikes acceptedCall for a quote โ€” fee and packaging arranged with the booking agent
Runs once a week, continuing east into Alberta.
๐ŸšฒYou arrive at 9th Ave at 19th St (Fernie).
Route facts last checked October 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: Fernie to Merritt (best: bus)

Connections from Merritt: Logan Lake (best: bus) · White Rock (best: bus + SkyTrain) · Courtenay (Comox Valley) (best: bus + SkyTrain + ferry) · Whitehorse, YT (best: bus + SkyTrain + plane)

Connections from Fernie: Cranbrook (best: bus) · Logan Lake (best: bus) · Bowen Island (best: bus + SkyTrain + ferry) · Whitehorse, YT (best: bus + plane)

Check out BC Bike Stops in Merritt and Fernie