Metro Bike Share is a

bicycle sharing system A bicycle-sharing system, bike share program, public bicycle scheme, or public bike share (PBS) scheme, is a shared transport service where bicycles are available for shared use by individuals at low cost. The programmes themselves include bo ...

in the

Los Angeles Los Angeles, often referred to by its initials L.A., is the List of municipalities in California, most populous city in the U.S. state of California, and the commercial, Financial District, Los Angeles, financial, and Culture of Los Angeles, ...

California California () is a U.S. state, state in the Western United States that lies on the West Coast of the United States, Pacific Coast. It borders Oregon to the north, Nevada and Arizona to the east, and shares Mexico–United States border, an ...

metropolitan area. The service was launched on July 7, 2016. It is administered by the

Los Angeles County Metropolitan Transportation Authority The Los Angeles County Metropolitan Transportation Authority (LACMTA), branded as Metro, is the county agency that plans, operates, and coordinates funding for most of the Transportation in Los Angeles, public transportation system in Los Ang ...

(Metro) and is operated by Bicycle Transit Systems. The system uses a fleet of about 1,400 bikes and includes 93 stations in

Downtown Los Angeles Downtown Los Angeles (DTLA) is the central business district of the city of Los Angeles. It is part of the Central Los Angeles region and covers a area. As of 2020, it contains over 500,000 jobs and has a population of roughly 85,000 residents ...

Venice Venice ( ; ; , formerly ) is a city in northeastern Italy and the capital of the Veneto Regions of Italy, region. It is built on a group of 118 islands that are separated by expanses of open water and by canals; portions of the city are li ...

, and the

Port of Los Angeles The Port of Los Angeles is a seaport managed by the Los Angeles Harbor Department, a unit of the Los Angeles, City of Los Angeles. It occupies of land and water with of waterfront and adjoins the separate Port of Long Beach. Promoted as "Amer ...

History

Compared to other U.S. cities, Los Angeles was relatively late in implementing a municipal bike sharing program. Efforts to create such a program failed in 2013, and at one point the city was the only one of the ten largest U.S. cities to lack a bike sharing system. The city council approved a plan in August 2015 to create a downtown pilot program that would function as a partnership between Metro and the city. The system began operations on July 7, 2016, with 1,000 bikes and 65 stations in

. In July 2017, Metro Bike Share expanded to

Pasadena Pasadena ( ) is a city in Los Angeles County, California, United States, northeast of downtown Los Angeles. It is the most populous city and the primary cultural center of the San Gabriel Valley. Old Pasadena is the city's original commercial d ...

and the

with 30 and 13 new stations, respectively. The system further expanded to the Venice Beach/

Santa Monica Santa Monica (; Spanish language, Spanish: ''Santa Mónica'') is a city in Los Angeles County, California, Los Angeles County, situated along Santa Monica Bay on California's South Coast (California), South Coast. Santa Monica's 2020 United Sta ...

area in September 2017 with 15 new stations. After a little more than a year of operation, the Pasadena service was canceled in September 2018 due to low ridership and high operating costs. Metro Bike Share is the first bike share system in the U.S. to be integrated as part of the city's existing public transit system. While other cities' bike share systems are usually operated by the municipal transportation department or an independent group, L.A.'s bike share is operated by Metro and allows riders to purchase rides using the same regional TAP card that is used on Metro's buses and trains. The city has plans to eventually allow riders to transfer directly between Metro buses and trains and Metro Bike Share for no additional cost.

Fares

Metro Bike Share charges for single rides at a rate of $1.75 for every 30 minutes. They also offer long-term passes for $5 per day, $17 per month, and $150 per year, which allows riders to take an unlimited number of free trips that are less than 30 minutes. However, riders must pay $1.75 for every 30 minutes beyond the first 30 minutes, even if they have a long-term pass. Riders can use the TAP card to purchase passes, but they have to set up a separate account for Metro Bike Share. Stored value and passes associated with Metro's other services or other regional bike share systems are not valid for use with Metro Bike Share, and there are no discounted or free transfers to or from those services as of October 2018. Riders can also purchase rides without a TAP card by using their credit or debit card at the bike station kiosk.

References

External links

Metro Bike Share - official website
{{Bicycle sharing systems Community bicycle programs Cycling in California Los Angeles County Metropolitan Transportation Authority Bicycle sharing in the United States