UCLA Launches Bruin Bike Share
WESTWOOD (CBSLA) — UCLA officially joined the region's growing bike share network Tuesday.
A celebration was held on the Westwood campus to launch Bruin Bike Share -- a bike rental program featuring 130 bikes and 18 hubs located throughout the main campus and adjacent Westwood Village.
The smart bikes can be checked out using the Social Bicycles mobile app.
UCLA students, faculty and staff members will have access to discounted membership rates at $60 a year or $7 monthly. The public monthly rate is $69 a year or $25 a month. There is a $7 hourly fee to check out a bike without a monthly or annual membership. Leaving a bike at a non-hub site incurs a $2 service charge.
Bruin Bike Share is compatible with the Santa Monica, Beverly Hills and West Hollywood bike share systems. According to a press release, UCLA Transportation "is coordinating with those cities to create a seamless regional bike-share system by early 2018."
The City of Los Angeles operates the Metro Bike Share network in downtown L.A., Pasadena, Port of L.A. and Venice. Metro Bike Share is currently not compatible with the UCLA, Santa Monica, Beverly Hills and West Hollywood bike share programs.
Also on Tuesday, City Councilman David Ryu introduced two motions to begin dockless bike sharing and peer-to-peer car sharing programs.
Dockless bike sharing systems allow riders to pick up and drop off bikes anywhere in the designated areas using a smart phone app to lock and unlock the bikes.
"Dockless bike sharing would allow more people to bike instead of drive, and bring bike sharing to communities where docked systems aren't feasible,'' Ryu said in a statement.
