WHAT!!!! that is ridiculous! I bring my Bike Friday Tikit on the bus all the time. ...while pushing it on one wheel. If Tri-Met wants to make their racks on the front compatible with Unicycles, that's one thing... but if they are going to ask people not to bring unicycles on the buses, then they need to crack down on all those shopping cart size push carts that people bring on all the time.

I got a few emails from unicyclists claiming harassment back in November. Here's what TriMet said in reply to my questions about it:

"Jonathan,

Thank you for the opportunity to clarify TriMet's policy on unicycles. Unicycles are welcome on MAX so long as they follow all of the other rules set forth about use in transit centers and onboard. However, our bus racks are not designed to safely handle unicycles and so unless they were a "folding" unicycle as set forth in our rules, they would not be allowed on buses.

I will work with our Customer Service staff to clarify this policy as well.

Please let me know if you have any questions about this.

Best,
Eric Hesse
Strategic Planning Analyst"

My Son often brings his Uni with him (a 20" wheel) on the bus, and we have gotten strange looks from the drivers in the past. We have never been barred from bringing one on the bus though. The rules and regulations around this are vague because there is nothing specifically about unicycles. The rules do have information about folding bikes (as mentioned in Eric Hesse's response above). See this from the Trimet page (http://www.trimet.org/howtoride/bikes/bikesonbuses.htm):

"Bikes are not allowed inside buses unless they can collapse to the size of a standard piece of luggage."

A reasonable person would assume that a one wheeled device that can collapse to the size of standard piece of luggage (i.e. every unicycle except for a giraffe unicycle) would fit under these rules. Officious drivers could certainly argue that a unicycle is not a folding bike (although it is smaller than a folding bike).

Eric's note above dodges the question by requiring a unicycle to "fold". I have never seen a standard unicycle that can fold (there are giraffe models that can be broken in the middle to fit in luggage). Do unicyclist really need to resort to putting the thing into a bag like Bike Friday owners need to do in less progressive cities?

Doesn't the "bi" in "bike" mean bi-cycle / two wheels?

By that definition, a unicycle isn't a bike.

What do serious bikers and unicyclists think of the terminology? (Regardless of TriMet's interpretation of the word.)

Bob,

I think this is absurd. What percentage of commuters are unicyclists, really?

At the same time, the libertarian in me says, "ride on wheel if that's what you do!" So, I reluctantly support it.

It's kind of weird. Like, keep Portland weird style.

This is a silly semantics discussion.

No, a unicycle isn't a bicycle by definition. But they perform the same function.

TriMet only allows folding bicycles on buses because they take up a small amount of space. So does a unicycle...probably less, certainly no more. TriMet needs to rewrite their policy to include unicycles. What's the harm?

This is a silly semantics discussion.

No, a unicycle isn't a bicycle by definition. But they perform the same function.

TriMet only allows folding bicycles on buses because they take up a small amount of space. So does a unicycle...probably less, certainly no more. TriMet needs to rewrite their policy to include unicycles. What's the harm?

Another way of looking at it...is it permissible to bring your double bass on the bus if you play in an orchestra? That's gonna take up about as much room or more than a unicycle.

If they want to bring on the bike they won't get any hassle from me.

I'm just one bus driver.

BTW-I haven't seen anything 'officially' on this.

And I follow this stuff!

A unicycle is not a bike. But when it comes to laws/regulations, some simple reasoning is all that's needed. If some area displays signs saying No Bikes, No Skating, etc. then it's safe to assume that unicycling is also not welcome/allowed.

But if a trail indicates "No Bikes" it may be suitable for unicycles. Smaller wheeled unicycles (20-26") cannot obtain enough speed to really endanger pedestrians and unis in general do not damage trails in the way that careless biking can.

I used to bring my 20" uni on the bus all the time...when I still rode the buses. Occasionally a driver would ask me to put it on the bike rack even though it sits in my lap just fine. Though I never actually tried, I would just tell them that it doesn't fit in the rack and none of them ever pushed the issue.

Now if I tried to bring a 36" on...that's different. But, a 36" can get around town just as fast as any bus.

I own both a Unicycle and a Folding Bicycle (Dahon D-7). The unicycle takes up less space than the folded bicycle! That is quite basic: UNI- is Latin prefix for "one"; BI- is Latin Prefix for "two"; Cycle means "wheel". Thankfully, most drivers are pragmatic, and only get hardnosed when treated with disrespect. But for thirty years, I've had to battle ignorami wearing business suits in government office buildings over bicycles! They want to politick "Green", and bike-to-work one day a year, and then harass bicyclists the remaining 364 days!