Today, thousands of Bay Area bicyclists will participate in Bike to Work Day, an annual event to encourage riding a bike to work. But at SamTrans and Caltrain, every day is Bike to Work Day.

SamTrans buses are equipped with bike racks, which hold two bikes. Two additional bikes are allowed inside the bus, depending on passenger loads. Only single-rider, two-wheel bicycles are permitted. No motor, tandem or three-wheel bikes are allowed. There is no age limit for riders using the bike racks or bringing bikes on board the bus. However, riders must be able to load and unload their bikes without help from the operator.

Last year, Caltrain completed a project to ensure that every train is equipped with two bike cars. Caltrain’s older Gallery-car trains are equipped with two bike cars with a capacity for 40 bikes in each car for a total capacity of 80 bikes on each train. The newer Bombardier cars are able to hold 24 bikes per car for a total capacity of 48 bikes per train.

Average weekday bike ridership saw a nearly 16 percent increase in 2012 over the previous year in 2011 jumping from 3,664 riders to 4,243.

In 2010, Caltrain formed a Bicycle Advisory Committee to serve as the primary venue for the interests and perspectives of bicyclists. The group is made up of representatives from each of the three counties served by Caltrain: San Francisco, San Mateo and Santa Clara and includes members from both the San Francisco Bicycle Coalition and the Silicon Valley Bicycle Coalition.

On Bike to Work Day, energizer stations are set up along the roadways of major bicycle commuting routes that have food, goodies and good cheer to encourage cyclists on Bike to Work Day. Every year, bicyclists who stop by these stations receive a free re-usable Bike to Work Day bag full of tips on safety and useful bicycling information.