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, ferries, trains and flights can carry you and your bike from Merritt to Tofino.
For scale
As the crow flies383 km
Biking whole way589 km · 37 h 13 m
By car570 km · 7 h 46 m
We found four ways to get you there.
🎒 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 · four legs📱 schedule erratic — check the Poparide app
Grab a window seat, the scenery's included.
CarrierRideYour bike
🚌EbusVancouver – Kelownaor Ebus (Vancouver – Kamloops) or Ebus (Vancouver – Calgary (Hwy 1)) or Rider Express (Vancouver – Calgary (Hwy 1))Merritt →Pacific Central Station (Vancouver)230 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.
🚝SkyTrainTransLinkPacific Central Station (Vancouver) →Vancouver Canada PlaceRoll on, free — 2 bikes per carAvoid rush hourE-bikes OK
🚲Travel the short hop from Vancouver Canada Place to CXH (Vancouver), about 0.8 km. If pedalling it doesn't appeal, Black Top Cabs, Maclure'S Cabs might help.
⛴️HulloHullo (Nanaimo – Vancouver)CXH (Vancouver) →Hullo Nanaimo Terminal (Port Way)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 Hullo Nanaimo Terminal (Port Way) to Downtown Nanaimo Exchange, about 1 km. If pedalling it doesn't appeal, A.C. Taxi, Yellow Cab Nanaimo might help.
🚗PoparideHwy 4 rideshare (Nanaimo - Port Alberni - Ucluelet - Tofino)Downtown Nanaimo Exchange →Tofino (1st Street)143 kmOnly some rides take bikes — look for the bicycle icon on the listingSchedule is variable — check Poparide for driver-listed dates and times
Only book rides that say they permit bicycles (bike icon on the listing).
🚲You arrive at Tofino (1st Street).
Option two · six legs📱 schedule erratic — check the Poparide app
A little bit of everything.
CarrierRideYour bike
🚌EbusVancouver – Kelownaor Ebus (Vancouver – Kamloops) or Rider Express (Vancouver – Calgary (Hwy 1))Merritt →Pacific Central Station (Vancouver)230 kmRides in the hold — bagged or cloth-wrapped (no plastic), or boxed$30 per bike
🚝SkyTrainTransLinkPacific Central Station (Vancouver) →Stadium-Chinatown (Vancouver)Roll on, free — 2 bikes per carAvoid rush hourE-bikes OK
🚎TransLink257 Horseshoe Bay ExpressStadium-Chinatown (Vancouver) →Horseshoe Bay17 kmRack on the bus, free2 bikes — first come, first servedE-bikes OK
⛴️BC FerriesHorseshoe Bay – Departure BayHorseshoe Bay →Departure Bay (Nanaimo)53 kmRoll on, free — no reservation neededE-bikes OK — no charging on board
🚎BC Transit20/20A Hammond Bay / Doveror the 25 Ferry ShuttleDeparture Bay (Nanaimo) →Downtown Nanaimo Exchange3.3 kmFront rack, no fee — 2 bikes, first come; space not guaranteedE-bikes under 25 kg only — lithium battery off the bike and carried on board
🚗PoparideHwy 4 rideshare (Nanaimo - Port Alberni - Ucluelet - Tofino)Downtown Nanaimo Exchange →Tofino (1st Street)143 kmOnly some rides take bikes — look for the bicycle icon on the listingSchedule is variable — check Poparide for driver-listed dates and times
Only book rides that say they permit bicycles (bike icon on the listing).
🚲You arrive at Tofino (1st Street).
Option three · six legs📱 schedule erratic — check the Poparide app
The same idea as Option two, on different routes.
CarrierRideYour bike
🚌EbusVancouver – Kamloopsor Ebus (Vancouver – Calgary (Hwy 1)) or Rider Express (Vancouver – Calgary (Hwy 1))Merritt →Surrey (Guildford Rec Centre)207 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.
🚲Travel the short hop from Surrey (Guildford Rec Centre) to Surrey Central, about 3.4 km. If pedalling it doesn't appeal, Aldergrove-Langley Taxi Ltd., Green Cab might help.
🚝SkyTrainTransLinkSurrey Central →Stadium-Chinatown (Vancouver)Roll on, free — 2 bikes per carAvoid rush hourE-bikes OK
🚎TransLink257 Horseshoe Bay ExpressStadium-Chinatown (Vancouver) →Horseshoe Bay17 kmRack on the bus, free2 bikes — first come, first servedE-bikes OK
⛴️BC FerriesHorseshoe Bay – Departure BayHorseshoe Bay →Departure Bay (Nanaimo)53 kmRoll on, free — no reservation neededE-bikes OK — no charging on board
🚎BC Transit25 Ferry Shuttleor the 20/20A Hammond Bay / DoverDeparture Bay (Nanaimo) →Downtown Nanaimo Exchange3.3 kmFront rack, no fee — 2 bikes, first come; space not guaranteedE-bikes under 25 kg only — lithium battery off the bike and carried on board
🚗PoparideHwy 4 rideshare (Nanaimo - Port Alberni - Ucluelet - Tofino)Downtown Nanaimo Exchange →Tofino (1st Street)143 kmOnly some rides take bikes — look for the bicycle icon on the listingSchedule is variable — check Poparide for driver-listed dates and times
Only book rides that say they permit bicycles (bike icon on the listing).
🚲You arrive at Tofino (1st Street).
Option four · four legs✈ the splurge
The long way round, but it works.
CarrierRideYour bike
🚌EbusVancouver – Calgary (Hwy 1)Merritt →Abbotsford Airport172 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.
✈️Flair AirlinesAbbotsford (YXX) – Calgary (YYC)Abbotsford Airport →Calgary AB634 kmRides in the hold — boxed, bagged, or wrappedBike feeReserve bike spotNo e-bikes
✈️Flair AirlinesVancouver (YVR) – Calgary (YYC)Calgary AB →Vancouver Airport (YVR) (Richmond)683 kmRides in the hold — boxed, bagged, or wrappedBike feeReserve bike spotNo e-bikes
✈️Pacific Coastal AirlinesVancouver – TofinoVancouver Airport (YVR) (Richmond) →YAZ (Tofino)190 kmRides in the hold — small aircraft, limited spaceAbout $105 per directionNo e-bikes
🚲At the far end, Central Tofino is about 12 km from YAZ (Tofino). Ride it, or take a local bus or taxi.
Not an option · four legs🚫 not possible with a bike
Two coach buses, a SkyTrain, and a ferry.
🚫 This chain exists, but Island Link does not carry bikes, so it cannot work with yours. We show it so you can see where the connection breaks.
CarrierRideYour bike
🚌EbusVancouver – Kelownaor Ebus (Vancouver – Kamloops) or Ebus (Vancouver – Calgary (Hwy 1)) or Rider Express (Vancouver – Calgary (Hwy 1))Merritt →Pacific Central Station (Vancouver)230 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.
🚝SkyTrainTransLinkPacific Central Station (Vancouver) →Vancouver Canada PlaceRoll on, free — 2 bikes per carAvoid rush hourE-bikes OK
🚲Travel the short hop from Vancouver Canada Place to CXH (Vancouver), about 0.8 km.
⛴️HulloHullo (Nanaimo – Vancouver)CXH (Vancouver) →Hullo Nanaimo Terminal (Port Way)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 Hullo Nanaimo Terminal (Port Way) to Downtown Nanaimo Exchange, about 1 km.
🚌Island LinkTofino Express BusDowntown Nanaimo Exchange →Tofino (1st Street)162 kmDoes not carry bikes
🚲You arrive at Tofino (1st Street).
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: Tofino to Merritt (best: carpool + ferry + SkyTrain)
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 Tofino: Ucluelet (best: bus) · Saturna Island (best: carpool + ferry + SkyTrain) · Penticton (best: carpool + ferry + SkyTrain) · Whitehorse, YT (best: carpool + ferry + SkyTrain)