Take a First Glimpse at Los Angeles's New Bike Share System

Even though Santa Monica kind of beat Los Angeles to it, and there were many failures along the way, the greater LA area is really, finally getting a bike share. Metro today approved an $11-million contract with Bicycle Transit Systems, Inc. that will put almost 1,100 bikes in 65 stations across Downtown LA by spring 2016. The bikes and kiosks will have different colors and overall branding once a title sponsor comes along, says The Source, but will otherwise look more or less like the retro-y ones pictured here—kickstand and all.

A Metro release announcing this big bike share step says pricing for the bikes hasn't been set yet, but there will be an app that will help users access real-time information about where and when bikes and docks are available.

The plan to expand the bikes to Pasadena next hasn't changed; Metro's planning to do that in 2017. After that, the program will continue to spread through the county, heading to "eight other communities for a total of 4,000 bicycles in ten communities in L.A. County."

· Metro Board approves regional bikeshare vendor [The Source]
· The Map and Timeline For the LA County Bike Share Program [Curbed LA]