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, ferries, trains, rental cars and flights can carry you and your bike from Prince Rupert to Merritt.

For scale
As the crow flies799 km
Biking whole wayno route found
By car1,271 km ยท 13 h 57 m

We found five 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
๐Ÿš†VIA RailSkeena (Prince Rupert โ€“ Prince George โ€“ Jasper)Downtown Prince Rupert (2nd Ave at 3rd St) โ†’Downtown Exch Bay B (Prince George)591 kmChecked baggage โ€” staffed stations only, including Vancouver BC and Jasper AB$25 per directionE-bikes OK โ€” battery disconnected at check-in
Three departures a week; the trip includes an overnight stop in Prince George (book your own hotel).
๐ŸšŒEbusKamloops โ€“ Prince GeorgeDowntown Exch Bay B (Prince George) โ†’Kamloops456 kmRides in the hold โ€” bagged or cloth-wrapped (no plastic), or boxed$30 per bike
Runs Wed/Fri/Sun toward Prince George and Mon/Thu/Sat toward Kamloops; no service on Tuesdays.
๐ŸšŒEbusVancouver โ€“ Kamloopsor Ebus (Vancouver โ€“ Calgary (Hwy 1)) or Rider Express (Vancouver โ€“ Calgary) or Rider Express (Vancouver โ€“ Calgary (Hwy 1))Kamloops โ†’Merritt70 kmRides in the hold โ€” bagged or cloth-wrapped (no plastic), or boxed$30 per bike
๐ŸšฒYou arrive at Merritt.
Option two · three legs⚠ doesn't run every day — check the schedule
Same as Option one, but a coach bus instead of the train.
CarrierRideYour bike
๐ŸšŒBC Bus North (Tahltan NST Busing Ltd.)Prince George โ€“ Prince Rupert (Hwy 16 West)Downtown Prince Rupert (2nd Ave at 3rd St) โ†’Downtown Exch Bay B (Prince George)619 kmLuggage bay on the Prince Rupert routeOther routes: bagged or boxed โ€” checked as luggage
Twice a week: Monday and Thursday westbound, Tuesday and Friday eastbound.
๐ŸšŒEbusKamloops โ€“ Prince GeorgeDowntown Exch Bay B (Prince George) โ†’Kamloops456 kmRides in the hold โ€” bagged or cloth-wrapped (no plastic), or boxed$30 per bike
Runs Wed/Fri/Sun toward Prince George and Mon/Thu/Sat toward Kamloops; no service on Tuesdays.
๐ŸšŒEbusVancouver โ€“ Kamloopsor Ebus (Vancouver โ€“ Calgary (Hwy 1)) or Rider Express (Vancouver โ€“ Calgary) or Rider Express (Vancouver โ€“ Calgary (Hwy 1))Kamloops โ†’Merritt70 kmRides in the hold โ€” bagged or cloth-wrapped (no plastic), or boxed$30 per bike
๐ŸšฒYou arrive at Merritt.
Option three · three legs⚠ doesn't run every day — check the schedule
Same as Option one, but a train instead of the coach bus.
CarrierRideYour bike
๐Ÿš†VIA RailSkeena (Prince Rupert โ€“ Prince George โ€“ Jasper)Downtown Prince Rupert (2nd Ave at 3rd St) โ†’Jasper AB922 kmChecked baggage โ€” staffed stations only, including Vancouver BC and Jasper AB$25 per directionE-bikes OK โ€” battery disconnected at check-in
Three departures a week; the trip includes an overnight stop in Prince George (book your own hotel).
๐Ÿš†VIA RailThe Canadian (Vancouver โ€“ Kamloops North โ€“ Jasper)Jasper AB โ†’Pacific Central Station (Vancouver)541 kmChecked baggage โ€” staffed stations only, including Vancouver BC and Jasper AB$25 per directionE-bikes OK โ€” battery disconnected at check-in
Two departures a week in season; bikes can be checked on and off at Vancouver and Jasper only.
๐ŸšŒEbusVancouver โ€“ Kelownaor Ebus (Vancouver โ€“ Kamloops) or Ebus (Vancouver โ€“ Calgary (Hwy 1)) or Rider Express (Vancouver โ€“ Calgary)Pacific Central Station (Vancouver) โ†’Merritt230 kmRides in the hold โ€” bagged or cloth-wrapped (no plastic), or boxed$30 per bike
๐ŸšฒYou arrive at Merritt.
Option four · five legs⚠ doesn't run every day — check the schedule
A one-way rental fills in the missing piece.
CarrierRideYour bike
โ›ด๏ธBC FerriesPort Hardy โ€“ Prince Rupert (Inside Passage)Downtown Prince Rupert (2nd Ave at 3rd St) โ†’Bear Cove (Port Hardy)445 kmRoll on, free โ€” no reservation neededE-bikes OK โ€” no charging on board
Sails alternate days, roughly 3โ€“4 sailings a week each way in summer.
๐ŸšฒTravel the short hop from Bear Cove (Port Hardy) to YZT (Port Hardy), about 8 km. If pedalling it doesn't appeal, Waivin Flags Taxi might help.
๐Ÿš™National Car & Truck Rental (Vancouver Island)One-way rental: Port Hardy โ€“ NanaimoYZT (Port Hardy) โ†’Downtown Nanaimo295 kmOne-way between Island branches โ€” no drop chargeBike rides inside โ€” SUV or minivan, seats folded, wheels offConfirm one-way and vehicle when booking
๐ŸšฒTravel 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.
โ›ด๏ธBC FerriesHorseshoe Bay โ€“ Departure BayDeparture Bay (Nanaimo) โ†’Horseshoe Bay53 kmRoll on, free โ€” no reservation neededE-bikes OK โ€” no charging on board
๐ŸšŽTransLink257 Horseshoe Bay ExpressHorseshoe Bay โ†’Downtown Vancouver (Dunsmuir at Cambie)19 kmRack on the bus, free2 bikes โ€” first come, first servedE-bikes OK
๐ŸšŒRider ExpressVancouver โ€“ Calgary (Hwy 1)Downtown Vancouver (Dunsmuir at Cambie) โ†’Merritt231 kmRides in the hold โ€” bagged, wrapped, or boxed$50 per bike โ€” non-refundable
๐ŸšฒYou arrive at Merritt.
Option five · four legs✈ the splurge
Pedal the first stretch, then let the flights take over.
CarrierRideYour bike
๐ŸšฒFirst, get from Central Prince Rupert to YPR (Prince Rupert), about 8.2 km. Ride it, or take a local bus or taxi. If pedalling it doesn't appeal, Skeena Taxi might help.
โœˆ๏ธAir CanadaVancouver (YVR) โ€“ Prince Rupert (YPR)YPR (Prince Rupert) โ†’Vancouver Airport (YVR) (Richmond)756 kmBox or sturdy bag requiredBook ahead for your bikeAbout $50 per directionNo e-bikes
โœˆ๏ธFlair AirlinesVancouver (YVR) โ€“ Calgary (YYC)Vancouver Airport (YVR) (Richmond) โ†’Calgary AB683 kmRides in the hold โ€” boxed, bagged, or wrappedBike feeReserve bike spotNo e-bikes
โœˆ๏ธFlair AirlinesAbbotsford (YXX) โ€“ Calgary (YYC)Calgary AB โ†’Abbotsford Airport634 kmRides in the hold โ€” boxed, bagged, or wrappedBike feeReserve bike spotNo e-bikes
๐ŸšŒEbusVancouver โ€“ Calgary (Hwy 1)Abbotsford Airport โ†’Merritt172 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.
๐ŸšฒYou arrive at Merritt.
Route facts last checked August 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 Prince Rupert (best: bus + train)

Connections from Prince Rupert: Terrace (best: train) · Parksville (best: ferry + rental car + bus) · Abbotsford (best: train + bus) · Fernie (best: train + bus)

Connections from Merritt: Kamloops (best: bus) · West Vancouver (best: bus) · Lund (best: bus + ferry) · Haida Gwaii (best: bus + train + ferry)

Check out BC Bike Stops in Prince Rupert and Merritt