Congress has cut federal funding for public media — a $3.4 million loss for LAist. We count on readers like you to protect our nonprofit newsroom. Become a monthly member and sustain local journalism.
Metro reaching out to low-income communities with new bike-share system
Listen
• 0:54
An early model of the L.A. Metro bike share program.
(
Los Angeles County Metropolitan Transportation Authority
)
A graphic from a Metro staff report shows the fare structure for the downtown L.A. bike-share program.
(
LA MTA
)
With the largest bike-share program in the county launching this week in downtown Los Angeles, the Metropolitan Transportation Authority is reaching out to low-income communities to show residents how the system can be useful for daily commutes.
Bike sharing allows users to check out a bike for short trips then return it to another location. But Metro officials conceive of the system as more than a bike rental service for tourists.
Rather, they hope residents will share the bikes to bridge the so-called "last mile gap" between transit and their homes or workplaces. The payment system for bike sharing even utilizes the TAP card, which is used for buses and trains.
Metro's bike-share pilot will launch Thursday with about 1,000 bikes at 65 docking stations around downtown. For now, the bikes are available only to users who sign up for $20 monthly or $40 annual passes. But on August 1, walk-up users can rent a bike for $3.50 every 30 minutes.
Support for LAist comes from
L.A. has been late to the bike-share party. Similar systems have been in place in major cities like New York, Washington, D.C., and San Francisco for years. But L.A. officials are hoping to attract a new group of users to the system - lower-income residents who make up the majority of transit users here.
Studies of systems around the country have shown that low-income communities make up a small share of bike-share users.
"Historically in other cities that have done bike-share, they’ve really been looking at this demographic of more affluent people that don’t necessarily ride bikes or take transit," said Allison Mannos, who works for the nonprofit Multicultural Communities for Mobility that has teamed up with Metro to try to change that.
Multicultural Communities for Mobility is asking for input on what would make the bike-share system more accessible and attractive to the populations it serves.
One of the big issues that can serve as a disincentive to bike sharing is the price. Low-income people are less likely to buy monthly or yearly passes for transit, although it would make the price of bike sharing more affordable.
The one-time fee is $3.50 for 30 minutes, double the price of a Metro fare. Manos and her colleagues will be surveying communities about the price they'd be willing to pay to use the bikes.
Metro is considering a low-income discount, as it currently offers for other transit fares.
As Editor-in-Chief of our newsroom, I’m extremely proud of the work our top-notch journalists are doing here at LAist. We’re doing more hard-hitting watchdog journalism than ever before — powerful reporting on the economy, elections, climate and the homelessness crisis that is making a difference in your lives. At the same time, it’s never been more difficult to maintain a paywall-free, independent news source that informs, inspires, and engages everyone.
Simply put, we cannot do this essential work without your help. Federal funding for public media has been clawed back by Congress and that means LAist has lost $3.4 million in federal funding over the next two years. So we’re asking for your help. LAist has been there for you and we’re asking you to be here for us.
We rely on donations from readers like you to stay independent, which keeps our nonprofit newsroom strong and accountable to you.
No matter where you stand on the political spectrum, press freedom is at the core of keeping our nation free and fair. And as the landscape of free press changes, LAist will remain a voice you know and trust, but the amount of reader support we receive will help determine how strong of a newsroom we are going forward to cover the important news from our community.
Please take action today to support your trusted source for local news with a donation that makes sense for your budget.
Thank you for your generous support and believing in independent news.
Chip in now to fund your local journalism
(
LAist
)
Trending on LAist
-
Isolated showers can still hit the L.A. area until Friday as remnants from the tropical storm move out. -
First aspiring spectators must register online, then later in 2026 there will be a series of drawings. -
It's thanks to Tropical Storm Mario, so also be ready for heat and humidity, and possibly thunder and lightning. -
![A Black woman sits at a dais with a flag in the background. A name placard in front of her reads: Dr. Va Lecia Adams Kell[um].](https://scpr.brightspotcdn.com/dims4/default/5425437/2147483647/strip/true/crop/6298x3897+0+0/resize/640x396!/quality/90/?url=http%3A%2F%2Fscpr-brightspot.s3.us-west-2.amazonaws.com%2F76%2F00%2Febed9a7a4fbd9e5ba12997e51d59%2Fgettyimages-1258669633.jpg)
L.A. County investigators have launched a probe into allegations about Va Lecia Adams Kellum and people she hired at the L.A. Homeless Services Authority. -
L.A. Mayor Karen Bass suspended a state law allowing duplexes, calling more housing unsafe. But in Altadena, L.A. County leaders say these projects could be key for rebuilding. -
This measure on the Nov. 4, 2025, California ballot is part of a larger battle for control of the U.S. House of Representatives next year.
![A Black woman sits at a dais with a flag in the background. A name placard in front of her reads: Dr. Va Lecia Adams Kell[um].](https://scpr.brightspotcdn.com/dims4/default/45c201e/2147483647/strip/true/crop/6298x3894+0+0/resize/786x486!/format/webp/quality/90/?url=http%3A%2F%2Fscpr-brightspot.s3.us-west-2.amazonaws.com%2F76%2F00%2Febed9a7a4fbd9e5ba12997e51d59%2Fgettyimages-1258669633.jpg)
Best of LAist