Meeting_Body
OPERATIONS, SAFETY, AND CUSTOMER EXPERIENCE COMMITTEE
MARCH 20, 2025
Subject
SUBJECT: METRO BIKE SHARE
Action
ACTION: APPROVE RECOMMENDATION
Heading
RECOMMENDATION
Title
AUTHORIZE the Chief Executive Officer (CEO) to:
A. EXECUTE Modification No. 18 to Contract No. PS272680011357 with Bicycle Transit Systems, Inc. (BTS) in the amount of $8,357,384 to continue Metro Bike Share (MBS) program services increasing the total contract value from $116,292,084 to $124,649,468 and extend the period of performance by a total of 7 months from April 30, 2025 through November 30, 2025, inclusive of a base period of four months and three, one-month options; and
B. EXECUTE individual contract modifications within the Board approved contract modification authority.
Issue
ISSUE
The Board approved Motion Item No. 41 by Directors Krekorian, Garcetti, Kuehl and Sandoval at its December 2021 meeting (Attachment A). Directive C of the motion requires that staff ensure uninterrupted bike share service as the next iteration of the MBS program is determined and executed. The current MBS contract with BTS is set to expire on April 30, 2025, and this extension is needed to ensure uninterrupted service until the award of the new multi-year contract, which is currently an active procurement.
Background
BACKGROUND
The MBS program was launched in July 2016 in partnership with the City of Los Angeles. It continues to provide service to Los Angeles County residents with 225 stations located in the Downtown Los Angeles, Central Los Angeles, Hollywood, Westside, and North Hollywood areas. To date, over 2.6 million trips have been taken, 9.1 million miles have been traveled, and 8.6 million pounds of CO2 have been averted through the use of MBS.
The program continues to see improvements overall. More than 519,000 rides were recorded in 2024, the highest annual ridership to date. This represents a 17% increase from the previous 12 months. The number of pass holders continues to increase as well. During 2024, 30-Day and 365-Day passholders increased by 14%. During the last year, the number of pass holders with reduced fare passes increased by 39%. Reduced fare passes are offered to low-income individuals through EBT verification, and Metro’s Low Income Fare is Easy (LIFE) program. They are also offered to seniors (62 years and over), students (16 years and over), and individuals with disabilities. Trips taken by reduced fare pass holders increased by more than 70,000 trips, or 77%, in the last 12 months. The number of trips taken per bike each day, an industry metric used to measure the effectiveness of bikeshare, also continues to increase, especially for pedal-assisted electric bikes (e-bikes). In December 2024, human-powered “classic” bikes reported 0.31 trips/bike/day, while e-bikes reported 3.79 trips/bike/day.
The MBS motion passed by the Board in December 2021 directed staff to take a series of actions focused on stablizing the current program and preparing for the next iteration of bike share in Los Angeles County. In October 2022, the Board approved a new “privately owned - publicly managed (contracted)” bike share model.
Discussion
DISCUSSION
Based on the Board approved MBS model, staff conducted a procurement action to secure a new contract. The initial procurement was cancelled, and a new solicitation was prepared and issued on July 23, 2024. The new procurement is currently underway and subject to a communications blackout. Staff is requesting an extension of the current contract to allow for the completion of the procurement process, award of the new contract, and the transition of services. The current contract expires on April 30, 2025. If the Board approves the extension, the contract will end November 30, 2025, inclusive of three, one-month options.
Per the MOU with the City of Los Angeles, the City will provide 65% of the funds in support of ongoing operation and maintenance of MBS. Staff reviewed this item with the City of Los Angeles and has received their concurrence to proceed with the extension.
Determination_Of_Safety_Impact
DETERMINATION OF SAFETY IMPACT
Metro’s safety standards will be improved through the approval of this recommendation by ensuring the continued operation of a safe and secure bike share program.
Financial_Impact
FINANCIAL IMPACT
The cost of the extended contract is included in the FY25 Budget and FY26 Proposed Budget in Account 50316, Project 308010, and Cost Center 4540.
Impact to Budget
The funding sources for this expense consist of the City of Los Angeles subsidy, advertising/sponsorship, system user fees, and general funds. The general fund is eligible for bus and rail operating projects and capital projects.
Equity_Platform
EQUITY PLATFORM
The approval of this contract modification and extension will ensure Metro’s ability to continue to operate and maintain a regional bike share program that is accessible to Los Angeles County residents. This contract extension will allow Metro to continue to provide current service to those who live and work within Equity Focus Communities (EFCs) in Downtown/Central Los Angeles, Westside, and North Hollywood. Currently, 47% of MBS stations are located in EFCs, and 40% of all trips are initiated from these stations. In addition, maintaining low bike share fares and ensuring that participants of the LIFE and Reduced Fare programs continue to have uninterrupted access to service with continued discounted fare media are critical components of this program. As mentioned, the number of pass holders with Reduced Fare passes increased in 2024 and now represents 39% of 30-Day and 365-Day pass holders. Participants with eligibility through California EBT represent 54% of all Reduced Fare passes, while students (16 years and over) represent 30%.
As part of the annual survey conducted by MBS, demographic data is collected. In 2024, and consistent with previous surveys, respondents to the survey were mostly male (61%) and Caucasian (44%), and most were younger than 50 years old (79%). However, one change observed was that just over half (52%) had incomes less than $75K. This is an increase in individuals with lower incomes and is consistent with the growth observed in reduced fare passes.
This contract has a DBE commitment of 22.37% and is currently operating at a participation rate of 26.70%, exceeding the commitment by 4.33%
Vehicle_Miles_Traveled_Outcome
VEHICLE MILES TRAVELED OUTCOME
VMT and VMT per capita in Los Angeles County are lower than national averages, the lowest in the SCAG region, and on the lower end of VMT per capita statewide, with these declining VMT trends due in part to Metro’s significant investment in rail and bus transit.* Metro’s Board-adopted VMT reduction targets align with California’s statewide climate goals, including achieving carbon neutrality by 2045. To ensure continued progress, all Board items are assessed for their potential impact on VMT.
As part of these ongoing efforts, this item is expected to contribute to further reductions in VMT. Metro conducted a preliminary analysis to show that the net effect of this item is to decrease VMT through operational activities that will improve and further encourage transit ridership, ridesharing, and active transportation. To date, more than 9.1 million miles have been traveled by MBS users, which represents a minimum reduction of approximately 1.9 million Vehicle Miles Traveled since the 2024 MBS survey results show that 22% of users would have driven their personal vehicles or used a taxi or equivalent vehicle to complete their travel if not for Metro Bike Share.
*Based on population estimates from the United States Census and VMT estimates from Caltrans’ Highway Performance Monitoring System (HPMS) data between 2001-2019.
Implementation_of_Strategic_Plan_Goals
IMPLEMENTATION OF STRATEGIC PLAN GOALS
MBS program supports the following Vision 2028 Strategic Plan Goals:
1. Provide a high-quality mobility option that enables people to spend less time traveling.
2. Deliver an outstanding trip experience for all users of the transportation system.
3. Enhance communities and lives through mobility and access to opportunity.
4. Transform LA County through regional collaboration and national leadership.
5. Provide responsive, accountable, and trustworthy governance within the organization.
Alternatives_Considered
ALTERNATIVES CONSIDERED
The Board may choose not to authorize the requested action. This alternative is not recommended as this would not support the Board motion, would impact the stability of the program, and Metro’s ability to provide uninterrupted MBS service. If the current contract is not extended, Metro Bike Share operations will end on April 30, 2025.
Next_Steps
NEXT STEPS
Upon Board approval, staff will execute Modification No. 18 to Contract No. PS272680011357 with BTS to continue MBS program services and extend the period of performance from April 30, 2025, through November 30, 2025, inclusive of three, one-month options.
Attachments
ATTACHMENTS
Attachment A - Board Motion Item No. 41
Attachment B - Procurement Summary
Attachment C - Contract Modification/Change Order Log
Attachment D - DEOD Summary
Prepared_by
Prepared by: Paula Carvajal-Paez, Senior Director, Shared Mobility, (213) 922-4258
Ken Coleman, Executive Officer, Shared Mobility, (213) 922-2951
Shahrzad Amiri, Deputy Chief Operations Officer - Shared Mobility, (213) 922-3061
Carolina Coppolo, Deputy Chief Vendor/Contract Management Officer, (213) 922-4471
Reviewed_By
Reviewed by: Conan Cheung, Chief Operations Officer, (213) 418-3034
