We’re about to kick off our 2023 expansion! Here are some details about Indego’s expansion plans for the rest of the year.
Catching Up
In 2022 and into the first few months of 2023, Indego added 42 new stations, 866 new docking points, and 750 new electric bikes to the fleet. We were able to grow the service area into Allegheny West and fill out more of East Falls, Kingsessing, Whitman, and other parts of Center City, West, South, and North Philadelphia.
We continue to uphold our commitment to providing service to Black and historically underserved communities and have been actively installing stations in marginalized neighborhoods. To do this, Indego’s Community Engagement team has worked closely with different community stakeholders to help with station planning and implementation. We also received 1,500 responses from our suggest-a-station form which has guided our expansion planning for 2023.
Michelle Feldman, Director of the East Falls Development Corporation (EFDC) shared the following:
The East Falls Development Corporation was proud to partner with Indego to expand the City’s bike share network to our community. We loved working with the Indego team to install three new stations at strategic locations throughout our neighborhood in 2022 – and to host a featured ride along the Schuylkill River Trail beginning at the parking lot under the Twin Bridges.
EFDC works every day to build a more walkable and bikeable Riverfront business district. Expanding access to the City’s bike share network is key to fulfilling this goal – not only for our residents, but as we seek to attract visitors from all over the region to explore and enjoy all that East Falls has to offer. Our partnership with Indego has led to a more cohesive community for our neighbors and small businesses, while further connecting East Falls to the greater Philadelphia area.
What’s Next
Indego is primed to expand service by 25% by adding 600 new docking points and an additional 600 Indego electric bikes to the system! Additional classic bikes will be deployed when possible to ensure that a core fleet of classic bikes remains available to Indego Passholders. Starting in late March/early April and through the rest of 2023, we will be focusing on adding more stations up North Broad Street and in West Philly as far as 58th street. We’ll also be adding more recreational stations along the Schuylkill River while densifying station capacity in the existing service area to support increased ridership. Finally, we will be expanding service past East Falls and into Manayunk!
This year, most new stations will use BCycle’s 3.0 energy-saving docks. This technology requires less power to operate, and docks can work independently of one another, offering more flexible station configurations for site planning. To learn more about our energy-saving dock technology, click here.
Stay in the Know with Indego!
Indego is extremely excited to grow in 2023 and reach new neighborhoods and riders in Philadelphia! Thank you to everyone who submitted a station suggestion and to all the community partners who worked with us this year to bring these stations to their neighborhoods. To stay connected, follow @RideIndego on social media and subscribe to our monthly newsletter.
Bicycle Transit Systems is a Philadelphia-based business that specializes in bike share launch, operations, and management. Comprised of the most experienced bike share operations team in the industry, Bicycle Transit Systems manages all operational elements of Indego, including bike and station maintenance, marketing, and customer service.
Why aren’t you introducing a new inclusive membership tier that allows us to take ebikes? You raised prices this last year, overloaded the system with them, and then had the nerve to change your pricing so we have to pay if there are no manual bikes at the station. This is happening frequently.
If we’re paying for an annual membership and there are only electric bikes, we shouldn’t have to pay. You keep ignoring your customers and are trying to nickel and dime everyone.
Agreed — I take the Indego to save $$$ on public transit. Last week I paid $5 for an e bike because there were no manual bikes available on a nearly full station! The SEPTA ride would have been $2.50. I’m debating whether I should renew this year as I’ve been taking Indego much less frequently with the 15th & Market station closing and now the flood of costly E Bikes.
Agreed — i don’t understand why e-bikes are such a priority when they make riding on indego much more expensive. I use it to save on public transit as well. A guarantee that we wouldnt be charged at a station that only has e-bikes available would be nice. Or some sort of system that helps with this issue.
And tbh, if expanding into marginalized/underserved neighborhoods is a big priority, then bringing classic bikes there should probably be a priority as well! I can’t speak for anybody, but I would imagine many folks who might be interested in the new bike stations would more interested if it’s cheaper than transit versus having to pay extra everytime….
and you might even have the unintentional effect (with more e-bikes and stations deeper in west) of encouraging gentrification’s course, making it easier for white and well-resourced folks to commute via the bike system to Ucity and center 🙂 food for thought!
SEPTA ride is only $2.00 with a Key card….
Agree. Almost no classic bikes available. Have to cancel my membership. Customer service never calls back.
+1 … additional ebikes are not necessary. Even when I am forced to take one they are usually nearly a dead battery anyway
Agreed!! Please make sure there are more classic bikes added OR a new pricing tier is introduced for an annual membership that supports ebikes. It is not cost effective and we are practically FORCED to always take an ebike because there are not enough classic bikes available at stations.
Can you put a station at the Home Depo/Home Goods plaza, on Christopher Columbus Blvd please?
Agreed! There are many important stores in that shopping center–like Wal-Mart–not to mention the terminus of the Delaware River Trail. I’ve ridden an Indego bike down there many times but couldn’t shop or stay for long because there’s no station. The closest station is near Target which is a long and dangerous walk away.
We need bikes in port richmond. Why does this area not have any??
So True! It’s the only area in the inner city NOT being served at all. Because it’s not saturated with hipsters or yuppies, and has a generally white population, it is completely ignored. This whole racial prioritization in communities served is completely a disgrace. Long-term Philadelphia residents who have a melanin deficiency get the shaft these days. Maybe when the transplants from elsewhere move into the area in larger numbers, then the city will serve those new-comers but we who have paid taxes and suffered the horrible years and poor services are 2nd class citizens.
Please put a bike 215-399-5850station at the end of Kelly drive at the Wissahickon bus station on Ridge Ave.
Echoing what others are saying about ebikes. Either add substantially more classic bikes, or eliminate the surcharge on ebikes. “additional classic bikes will be deployed when possible” isn’t good enough. Indego is already pricier than bikeshares for other cities, e.g., DC or NYC.
Who is even asking for more ebikes? I remember taking a survey late last year and bringing up this exact concern. Did other people respond to that survey requesting more ebikes? judging by the comments on this post, I can’t imagine that Indego’s core ridership wants more ebikes if they’re still going to cost $0.20/minute.
Why not do a cargo bike/bakfiets rental service? I think that this would probably help people as much or even more than regular bikes only. These types of bikes can haul anything from groceries, to furniture, to passengers. They are absolutely car replacement vehicles especially in dense, car congested cities and can help people deal with food and shopping deserts. You guys do have cargo bikes in your fleet as service vehicles, so such an addition to your public fleet doesn’t seem like a huge stretch.
Agree about the Cargo Bike rental. this would be a great add to the fleet!
Agree with everyone about the lack of manual bikes and how costly ebikes are. Members shouldn’t be charged for using the only available bike. And if not change your pay structure as ebikes are way too costly at 20 cents a minute.
Additionally I don’t know if there isn’t capacity but the day pass is way too expensive and lack of single ride option is a big miss. Just got back from DC and the day pass is $8 compared to $15 in Philly. Additionally a solo ride was $1 to unlock and then 5 cents per minute. It’s annoying since if I want to ride with a friend or visitor they can’t because it’s too cost prohibitive for them.
I like the cargo bike idea.
To add to my comment. DC’s bike share is $95 a year and 10 cents a minute for e-bikes.
How about fixing your program for low income access? You require. Form of Access card that is not currently used and morovife no other means of authenticating low income status. I would love to use your service, but can’t afford it if it’s going to cost more than septa to get to work. Please allow ebt or Medicaid card verification of low income status.
Agree with all the e-bike comments. Please bring back the functionality for pass holders where if the only bikes available are e-bikes, roll back the e-bike charge. I guess you could only do in the case where it is requested as some may be intentionally getting e-bike. Clearly you have good data analysis, if a passholder gets acoustic bike when available, then if they request, pull off the e-charge. Or maybe with annual pass, give a certain number of ‘free’ ebike rides per month.
It’s frustrating that the station at 26th and Girard that was removed a few years ago has never been replaced with anything nearby. The distance between stations is 12 blocks! (31st and Girard to 19th and Girard and south to Fairmount.) What prevents you from filling this hole?
Hear hear. There was one on 26th and Poplar that was moved to 27th and Girard. Now that the construction on Poplar is finished, maybe they could put it back there?
Agree with all the other comments here. Love that you’re expanding access and adding more ebikes, but getting rid of the ebike fee waiver while also Increasing the probability of only ebikes available feels like a major bait and switch.