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May is National Bike Month, and in celebration Metro is offering riders the chance to use its bike share program for free for the whole month. Using the promo code BIKEMONTH17, sign up for the monthly pass to waive the $20 fee. The stipulations of the monthly pass still stand, which means any ride under 30 minutes is free, but subsequent 30 minutes cost $1.75 each. The promo is also the equivalent of a free trial; with your credit card on file, it's up to you to log on to your Metro account and de-select "auto-renew" in order to prevent future charges.
The bike share program launched last summer in downtown L.A., with plans to expand to Venice, Pasadena, and San Pedro this summer. Santa Monica, West Hollywood, and Beverly Hills have their own programs as well, but they operate separately from Metro (so this May promotion won't apply to those bikes).
The 65 downtown stations cover a decent portion of the neighborhood, extending even into Westlake, the Arts District, and Chinatown. Metro's program is the only one of its kind around the country because it's both government-operated (Citibike in New York, for example, is privately owned) and doesn't require a separate pass from a regular public transportation card. Here in L.A., you can TAP for the train and TAP for a bike.
Bike shares take a bit of adjustment because they require riders to start and end their route at a docking station, and sometimes docking stations are out of bikes, but on the whole they offer a sustainable and convenient transportation alternative. The program will eventually cover all of L.A. County, but until then, take the month of May to bike from Bread Lounge to MOCA to the Last Bookstore and back.
