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Metro and the city of Los Angeles announced Wednesday that Metro's bike sharing program will officially launch in downtown Los Angeles on Thursday, July 7. Woo hoo! There will be up to 1,000 bicycles available at 65 strategically placed locations around downtown Los Angeles, including Union Station, City Hall, Grand Park, the L.A. Convention Center, South Park, Chinatown, the Arts District, the Fashion District, Little Tokyo. Crowdsourced public input and was taken into account to select the initial station locations. Here's a map of current locations. Even more will be added soon.
According to Metro's blog The Source, Metro will become the first major transportation agency in America to offer a single card that allows access to both transit and bike share systems. Yes, that's right, you'll be able to use your TAP card to rent a bike. What a time to live in the world's greatest city!
Future bike riders can purchase a monthly or annual flex pass for the system at bikeshare.metro.net. Current TAP card holders can just register their card in the system to add bike share access to it, and new card buyers will receive their shiny TAPs in the mail.
The Source reports that Metro designed the the fare structure to be "flexible and affordable for all users." Here's a breakdown of the three-tier payment system:
A monthly pass is $20 per month. All trips 30 minutes or less are free and $1.75 per 30 minutes thereafter. This pass option is best if the user expects to take more than five trips per month. People use their registered TAP card to get a bike. A Flex Pass is $40 per year. All trips 30 minutes or less are $1.75 and $1.75 per 30 minutes thereafter. This option is best if users expect to take two to five trips per month or want the convenience of using their TAP card to get a bike.
A Walk-Up is $3.50 for 30 minutes. This option will be available starting August 1. All trips 30 minutes or less are $3.50, and $3.50 per 30 minutes thereafter. An introductory 50 percent discount rate will be offered in August-September. This option is best for tourists and visitors to downtown LA. Users can pay per trip using their credit card at any station kiosk.
"We are always looking to help people explore our incredible city in new ways. Now, through Metro's new bike share program, residents and visitors from around the world can to check out a bike and see downtown L.A. with a fast, fun and affordable system," Mayor Eric Garcetti told the Source. "Paired with our city's new bicycle infrastructure, this is going to make it easier and safer to travel through our city on two wheels."
Related:
Why Los Angeles Is A Surprisingly Great City For Bike Sharing
