LA Metro Reopens Bikeshare Service in Westside Communities, Los Angeles County, CA, 2021

The Los Angeles County Metropolitan Transportation Authority (LA Metro) has announced that it is relaunching its bikeshare system, Metro Bike Share, in the Westside area of Los Angeles County. This is occurring after Metro Bike Share suspended its service in the Westside in September 2020, removing its fleet of “Smart” dockless bicycles from the area. This reopening involves the reinstallation of 54 bikeshare stations and 13 new stations in municipalities and neighborhoods like Mar Vista, Palms, Playa Vista, the Rose District, Santa Monica, Sawtelle, and Venice. Metro Bike Share’s fleet in the Westside will now consist of “Classic” and “Electric” bicycles, both of which are meant for docking. LA Metro has found that docked bikeshare has higher rates of ridership than their dockless system.

With this expansion, Metro Bike Share has over 200 stations and 1,500 bikes in its system. Westside residents and visitors will also have improved first-last-mile transportation options, especially in high commercial areas like Santa Monica. Many of these stations are located at LA Metro’s E Line light rail stations so that people can easily connect their transportation journeys. As communities across the United States celebrate National Bike Month, many are seeing their bikeshare systems as an integral part of growing their multimodal transportation network.

Last updated May 17, 2021