Straits Regional Ride will be installing 4 bike racks onto EMGO buses and a Straits Regional Ride bus in Emmet County in mid-June.
The county is hoping to make the area more walker and bike friendly. Stacy Cox, the communications director for Emmet county, said they are trying to attract people who want to use their bikes more.
“The area is trying to appeal to people who don’t want to drive their vehicles and want to spend more time outside walking and riding their bikes, and the bus, we hope, fits in in with that,” Cox said.
Cox said donors funded the project and nearly $5,500 has been raised. Each bike rack costs about $1,500, so Emmet County will cover the balance to pay for the fourth rack.
Donations that helped to fund the bike racks came from Little Traverse Bay Band of Odawa Indians, Meijer, the Community Health Center of Northern Michigan as well as private donors and individuals.
The Top of Michigan Trails Council helped to raise money for the project. Jeff Winegard, the executive director for the trails council, said the bike racks will help people travel to different trails.
“You could start off and put your bike on a bus in Petoskey and then go up to Mackinac, get on your bike and ride back to Petoskey. There’s a great trails system up here and Straits Regional Ride services a number of the routes,” Winegard said.
He said bike racks on the buses will help people who want to explore more of Northern Michigan and Emmet county. A round trip between Petoskey and Mackinac might be too long for some people on their bikes, but taking the bus one way and riding a bike back might be a better option.
Winegard said this will also help with tourism, giving tourists another activity in the area.