Still Not Sure How Biketown Works? You Can Try It for Free the Entire Month of May.

Portland's municipal bike share program, Biketown, is waiving charges for rides of up to 90 minutes for the entire month of May.

The city's bike rental service stirred controversy when it first plopped 1,000 bright orange rides around town.

Around this time last year, vandals slashed Biketown tires and spray-painted "Our city is not a corporate amusement park," on racks.

Related: At Least 11 BikeTown Stations Trashed This Week, as Vandals Declare "Our City Is Not a Corporate Amusement Park" 

Local bike-rental shops also feared that their businesses would be undercut by the Nike-sponsored service.

However, for all its hiccups, our reporter noted after a year of commuting exclusively via Biketown, the rentable fleet is an appealing and logical alternative to mass transit.

Related: I Spent a Year Using Biketown to Commute. Here's What I Learned.

Usually $12 per month gets Biketown members 90 minutes a day of access across the central city. In May, that fee will be waived entirely, and users will be charged 10 cents per every minute over 90 per day.

"With over half a million rides taken in the last two years, it's clear that Portlanders have embraced the convenience and fun of bike share," Portland Bureau of Transportation director Leah Treat said in a statement.

Those who are already annual members can log free rides on Biketown's website, mobile app or at a station kiosk by applying the code "BIKEMONTH18."

The Adaptive Biketown pilot program—which outfits residents with disabilities with bikes—will also launch May 1. Adaptive Biketown bikes will be free for three hours for anyone who qualifies for TriMet's Honored Citizen Pass.