Onward Cycle Connections
If you are travelling out of the Bedford area with your bicycle you may take it on the train or bus but their are a number of restrictions if it is a full sized bicycle.
Trains
Govia Thameslink Railway
Govia Thameslink Railway (GTR) took over from First Capital Connect (FCC) on 14 September 2014 as the rail franchise operator between Bedford and Brighton via St Pancras International and between Peterborough and Kings Cross.
Their cycle carriage policy can be seen on the terms section.
East Midland Trains
East Midland run trains between London St Pancras International and Corby, Nottingham and Sheffield which call at Bedford. Bicycle spaces must be reserved. Full details of their conditions and restrictions can be seen on their cycle policy link.
West Midland Trains
West Midland Trains took over from London Midland on 10 December 2017 to run the trains between Bedford and Bletchley on the Marston Vale Line. Bikes are accepted at all times. The carriage of up to three non folding bicycles is guaranteed on each service. At the Senior Conductors discretion it may be possible to accommodate more bicycles in alternative storage areas, however this is dependent on other passengers needs.
Full details of their conditions and restrictions can be seen on their cycle policy link.
Three new Class 230 D-trains came on stream in May 2019.
Other Trains
For information on all other train operator's policies with regard to taking a bicycle on a train please consult the National Rail Cycle Policy. The last National Rail 'Cycling by Train' leaflet published in 2016 can be downloaded here.
Travel to Lille, Paris and Brusselles can be made by taking a bicycle on either Thameslink or East Midlands trains to St Pancras International and then catching an Eurostar train. The Eurostar website has information about their cycle policy.
Information on travelling with bicycles on many railways within Europe can be obtained from the European Rail Passenger Information website under Taking Your Bike.
Buses
Stagecoach X5
The Stagecoach X5 service between Oxford and Cambridge via Bedford was split into two on 30 August 2020 and now terminates at Bedford. The Oxford to Bedford service still allows two bicycles to be carried, subject to available space, in the central section of the large luggage hold on each coach. They must be lifted into place by the cycle owner, not the driver. If the coach/storage area is full then customers must wait for the next coach.
The Bedford to Cambridge section, now numbered 905, is run by double decker buses and as a result can no longer take non-folding bicycles but will still take folded and bagged bicycles which must be kept with you at all times. See FAQs No 20 on the following link.
Other Buses
BikeBus Explorer - No longer running
The BikeBus Explorer, a public bus service pulling a 20 cycle bike trailer which departed up to four times per day every Sunday and Bank Holidays from a stand close to Cambridge railway station connecting Wimple Hall and villages between Barton and Gamlingay with the city, ran its last service on Sunday 27 March 2016. It had been started in July 2014 by South Cambridgeshire District Council with part funding by the Local Sustainable Transport Fund and National Trust.
European Bike Express
The European Bike Express, which started in 1993, offers a guaranteed means of safely transporting your bike to France by bus. Nearest pickup to Bedford is the Newport Pagnell service area between junctions 14/15 of the M1.
The service offers three possibilities in France, one to the South West and Atlantic Coast and two to the Mediterranean with hop-on hop-off giving access to Germany and Switzerland as well as the French Alps. Full details from the Bike Express website.