If you've been meaning to take L.A. by two wheels but haven't been able to buy a bicycle of your own, then we may have found the perfect way to ease in.
To celebrate Bike Month, Metro is offering a month of its Metro Bike Share program for free. If—and unfortunately, only if—you're a new user to the system, you can sign up with the promo code BIKEMONTH17 anytime between now and May 31.
The pass, which is normally $20, allows unlimited rides with the Downtown-based bike share program. The rental period begins the first time you check out one of the green bikes from a pop-up corral.
Of course, with all things free there's a slight catch. Though trips under 30 minutes are free under the monthly plan, longer trips will cost you $1.75 per extra half hour. If you're thinking about pedaling along some bike trails and keeping the same bike all day, this probably isn't the right fit. But if you plan on using the system to cycle from, say, Bunker Hill to the Arts District or from L.A. Live to Chinatown—all locations on the farthest reaches of the system map, but still well within a half-hour ride—then the free month is a steal.
Metro first launched the bike share program last July with 65 stations scattered across Downtown L.A. Since then, the transit agency has approved plans to expand to Pasadena, Venice and the Port of L.A., all of which are slated to begin service this summer.
If you've fallen in love after your free month but can't quite commit to the monthly rate you can consider downgrading to an annual pass ($40 per year, $1.75 per 30 minutes) or by paying per ride ($3.50 per 30 minutes).
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