After a Wet Winter, Bikeshare Ridership Lags in Los Angeles

Bikeshare is still fairly new in Los Angeles, located mostly around downtown before expanding to the rest of the city. So far, however, residents have been slow to adopt the system.

1 minute read

April 21, 2017, 1:00 PM PDT

By James Brasuell @CasualBrasuell


Metro Bikeshare

Miune / Shutterstock

Aaron Mendelson reports that the Los Angeles County Metropolitan Transportation Authority's (Metro) bikeshare program has some catching up to do if it wants to hit the ridership targets set for this summer.

"Numbers released thus far show that the L.A. county transit agency has a way to go before reaching its mid-summer goal to have two rides every day for each of its 800 bikes," writes Mendelson. "On March 31st, the most recent day for which data is available, each bike was at less than half that figure: 0.7 rides per bike."

Data released by Metro recently shows that ridership was in steady decline through the winter, only recently picking back up in March. The article includes a few infographics to help visualize the ridership for the system so far. Medelson also notes a few other interesting factoids from the ridership data:

  • The typical trip has taken about 10 minutes.
  • 90 percent of trips are one-way rides.
  • Over 60 percent of trips are by riders with a monthly pass; 31 percent are walk-ups.

Thursday, April 20, 2017 in KPCC

portrait of professional woman

I love the variety of courses, many practical, and all richly illustrated. They have inspired many ideas that I've applied in practice, and in my own teaching. Mary G., Urban Planner

I love the variety of courses, many practical, and all richly illustrated. They have inspired many ideas that I've applied in practice, and in my own teaching.

Mary G., Urban Planner

Cover CM Credits, Earn Certificates, Push Your Career Forward

Logo for Planetizen Federal Action Tracker with black and white image of U.S. Capitol with water ripple overlay.

Planetizen Federal Action Tracker

A weekly monitor of how Trump’s orders and actions are impacting planners and planning in America.

June 11, 2025 - Diana Ionescu

Large crowd on street in San Francisco, California during Oktoberfest festival.

The Simple Legislative Tool Transforming Vacant Downtowns

In California, Michigan and Georgia, an easy win is bringing dollars — and delight — back to city centers.

June 2, 2025 - Robbie Silver

Rendering of Shirley Chisholm Village four-story housing development with person biking in front.

San Francisco's School District Spent $105M To Build Affordable Housing for Teachers — And That's Just the Beginning

SFUSD joins a growing list of school districts using their land holdings to address housing affordability challenges faced by their own employees.

June 8, 2025 - Fast Company

Bird's eye view of half-circle suburban street with large homes.

In More Metros Than You’d Think, Suburbs are Now More Expensive Than the City

If you're moving to the burbs to save on square footage, data shows you should think again.

8 seconds ago - Investopedia

Color-coded map of labor & delivery departments and losses in United States.

The States Losing Rural Delivery Rooms at an Alarming Pace

In some states, as few as 9% of rural hospitals still deliver babies. As a result, rising pre-term births, no adequate pre-term care and "harrowing" close calls are a growing reality.

June 15 - Maine Morning Star

Street scene in Kathmandu, Nepal with yellow minibuses and other traffic.

The Small South Asian Republic Going all in on EVs

Thanks to one simple policy change less than five years ago, 65% of new cars in this Himalayan country are now electric.

June 15 - Fast Company