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 and ferries can carry you and your bike from Thetis Island to Nanaimo.
For scale
As the crow flies28 km
Biking whole way45 km · 2 h 52 m
By car44 km · 1 h 05 m
We found three 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 · three legs
One long leg does most of the travelling.
CarrierRideYour bike
⛴️BC FerriesChemainus – Thetis – PenelakutPreedy Harbour (Thetis Island) →Chemainus6.7 kmRoll on, free — no reservation neededE-bikes OK — no charging on board
🚎BC Transit6 Crofton-ChemainusChemainus →Duncan20 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
🚎BC Transit70 NCX Nanaimo - Cowichan ExpressDuncan →Bay D at Downtown Nanaimo Exch46 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
🚲You arrive at Bay D at Downtown Nanaimo Exch.
Option two · four legs⚠ doesn't run every day — check the schedule
Option one, plus a city bus at the finish.
CarrierRideYour bike
⛴️BC FerriesChemainus – Thetis – PenelakutPreedy Harbour (Thetis Island) →Chemainus6.7 kmRoll on, free — no reservation neededE-bikes OK — no charging on board
🚲Travel the short hop from Chemainus to Pine & Daniel (Chemainus), about 0.9 km.
🚎BC Transit34 Ladysmith-ChemainusPine & Daniel (Chemainus) →Coronation Mall (Ladysmith)8.1 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
🚎BC Transit36 Ladysmith-Duncan ExpressCoronation Mall (Ladysmith) →Duncan24 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
🚎BC Transit70 NCX Nanaimo - Cowichan ExpressDuncan →Bay D at Downtown Nanaimo Exch46 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
🚲You arrive at Bay D at Downtown Nanaimo Exch.
Option three · three legs📱 schedule erratic — check the Poparide app
Same as Option one, but a carpool instead of the city bus.
CarrierRideYour bike
⛴️BC FerriesChemainus – Thetis – PenelakutPreedy Harbour (Thetis Island) →Chemainus6.7 kmRoll on, free — no reservation neededE-bikes OK — no charging on board
🚎BC Transit6 Crofton-ChemainusChemainus →Duncan20 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 1 rideshare (Victoria - Duncan - Nanaimo)Duncan →Downtown Nanaimo Exchange47 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 Downtown Nanaimo Exchange.
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: Nanaimo to Thetis Island (best: bus + ferry)
Connections from Thetis Island: Mayne Island (best: ferry + bus) · Langford (best: ferry + bus) · Coquitlam (best: ferry + bus + SkyTrain) · Port Hardy (best: ferry + bus + rental car)
Connections from Nanaimo: Chemainus (best: bus) · Maple Ridge (best: ferry + SkyTrain + bus) · Sicamous (best: ferry + SkyTrain + bus) · Whitehorse, YT (best: ferry + SkyTrain + plane)
Check out BC Bike Stops in Nanaimo