City of Los Angeles, LA Metro Request for Proposals for Bikeshare

In its RFP for Los Angeles’ forthcoming 1,000-bike regional bikeshare system, LA Metro included a requirement the system be compatible with Metro’s Transit Access Pass (TAP) card, even though it was at first unclear how precisely such integration would work. Less than a year later, the selected provider, Bicycle Transit Systems, announced that bikeshare members will be able to use specially branded TAP cards to unlock bicycles at docking stations when the system opens in mid-2016. While users’ TAP cards will only link to their bikeshare accounts at first— instead of allowing riders to pay for bikeshare from their transit fare account—the integration is still noteworthy and shows how forward-thinking cities can spur the private sector into further innovation.