UKH

Hey, so I'm hoping to take my bike on a city link bus from Glasgow to Uig and back. You need to have the bike in a bag or a box. A friend suggested I ask a bike shop for a spare box, which would be fine other than the fact that I'm going on a camping trip so I really need something that I can fold up and put in my bag for the couple of days I'm travelling. Ideally I would like to not have to take my bike apart when putting it in the box/bag as there will be loads of room because busses are taking less than half capacity at the moment. 

I'm looking at this cover on Amazon, I would appreciate any advice from anyone who has experience taking their bike on city link buses on whether they think this will be ok.

I have emailed citylink but somehow I think they may take a while to reply. I will be double checking with them before I buy it, but thought I'd ask on here anyway while I wait for a reply. One concern I have is that different drivers seem to have different rules..

https://www.amazon.co.uk/Waterproof-Ohuhu-Outdoor-Bicycle-Mountain/dp/B07FX...

The cycling touring club sell clear plastic bike bags for fairly cheap.  Used them for taking bikes on planes after touring trips.  The bag would be big enough to cover the bike entirely without having to take this apart, you will have to check with city link to see if this is allowed.  I have managed to get my bike into underside luggage storage area on coaches while abroad with no problems or damage to the bike so hopefully this goes well for you.

Alternatively is long train to malliag ferry and cycle to Uig or again long train to Kyle of lochalsh and cycle.

Hey that's great, thanks. I got a very vague reply from citylink that told me nothing I didn't already know. I'm just going to get a cover and hope for the best. I'm not going for a few weeks yet, so I'm thinking of going on a small bus journey with the bike to see what the bus driver says. 

Thanks I've considered the train to Mallaig or Kyle of Lochlash, but the return bus to Uig is a fair bit less expensive, so I'm hoping that it will work out. 

I'd say no to the example you've given as the bike is not fully enclosed - what they're interested in is there being no possibility of any of the mucky or pointy bits (tyres included) damaging or getting dirty any of the other luggage, as it'll just be chucked in underneath with suitcases on top/underneath/alongside.  Also to protect the bike from same.

This is the sort of thing they mean:

https://www.scott-sports.com/gb/en/product/scott-bike-transport-bag-classic...

i.e. similar to what you'd need to fly, but to be honest if the train is an option I'd just do that.

Hey thanks for your reply, I think I might go with bringing a box actually. I've had a chat with a guy who works at a bike shop and if I can find somewhere to stash it for the few days I'm away it seems like the cheapest option rather than the bag. It really seems to depend on what the driver thinks  I wish I could take the train but the bus is the only option really for the trip I want to do. Thanks for your advice!

I have no experience with these buses but have found that often it is an individual driver who can be kind or arsey. If you experience the latter, it's good to have print out of terms and conditions.

Big poly bags can sometimes be got from mattress shops. Advantage is that they can be binned on arrival. The CTC ones previously mentioned are what I have used when flying.