One year ago, Congress defunded public media. Now that we're 100% community funded, please become a sustaining member or increase your existing membership today.
This archival content was originally written for and published on KPCC.org. Keep in mind that links and images may no longer work — and references may be outdated.
LA bike-share expanding Monday to walk-up renters
Metro is opening bike-sharing rentals in downtown Los Angeles starting Monday to walk-up users.
(
LA Metro
)
Listen
0:52
LA bike-share expanding Monday to walk-up renters
If you’ve been wanting to try out downtown Los Angeles’ new bike-share system, but you didn’t want to buy a pass, you’ll get the chance starting Monday when the program opens to walk-up users.
But while bike-share access is expanding, some communities are better served than others.
A new report from the Urban Sustainability Directors Network shows that most bike-share systems around the country aren’t accessible to some of the people who need them most – low-income communities of color who rely more heavily on public transit.
Phil Washington, Metropolitan Transportation Authority CEO, said he wants things to be different in Los Angeles County.
"We don’t want to just limit this to tourists. You know, this first-last mile, and just normal day-to-day, that’s what we’re trying to do. We want to create mobility options," he told KPCC.
Bike-share systems allow users to check out a bike, ride a short distance and then drop it off. That makes it easier to get around without a car because it bridges the so-called "last mile" gap between a person’s home or work and public transit.
Metro is giving out 40,000 discount passes in low-income neighborhoods to allow users to rent bikes for half the usual price.
Sponsored message
Officials are also discussing a permanent low-income discount for the bikes, just as the agency has for regular transit tickets on trains and buses.
The walk-up rentals will go for $3.50 for the first 30 minutes or less and $3.50 for each 30 minutes that follow. But through Oct. 1, Metro is offering a discount to $1.75 per half hour to encourage tryouts. A map of pickup locations is available on the Metro website.
Designed largely for tourists and visitors, the walk-up pricing also gives those who want to try out the bikes a chance for a short trip.
Monthly passes at $20 a month and flex passes at $40 a year, both of which can be tied to riders' TAP cards, are also available.
The bike-share program is set to expand next to Pasadena, then other areas of the county in future years.
Washington said Metro does seek to serve more transit-dependent neighborhoods when expanding access to bike-share.
This story has been updated.
Sponsored message
Shared-Use Mobility Toolkit for Cities
One year ago, Congress voted to defund public media, eliminating a critical $1.7 million from our budget every year going forward. But they couldn’t silence us, and we’re not going anywhere. LAist is now 100% community funded and that means we’re taking our future into our own hands and turning to you to keep local reporting strong.
You come to LAist because you want independent reporting and trustworthy local information. Our nonprofit newsroom doesn’t answer to shareholders looking to turn a profit. Instead, we answer to you and our communities. We are free to follow facts wherever they lead and to hold power to account without fear or favor. Our only loyalty is to our readers and listeners and our mission: to inform, engage, and strengthen Southern California’s communities.
If this story helped you, please become a monthly member today to help sustain this mission. It just takes 1 minute to donate below.
You come to LAist because you want independent reporting and trustworthy local information. Our nonprofit newsroom doesn’t answer to shareholders looking to turn a profit. Instead, we answer to you and our communities. We are free to follow facts wherever they lead and to hold power to account without fear or favor. Our only loyalty is to our readers and listeners and our mission: to inform, engage, and strengthen Southern California’s communities.
If this story helped you, please become a monthly member today to help sustain this mission. It just takes 1 minute to donate below.
Senior Vice President News, Editor in Chief
