PHILADELPHIA – City officials joined community partners and key stakeholders to celebrate Indego today at Columbia Avenue North YMCA. Last April marked the eighth anniversary since Indego bike share, Philadelphia’s bike share transportation system launched. In 2015 Indego started with just 60 stations and 600 bikes with one-third of the stations placed in low-income communities. Today the system has grown to a network of over 200 stations and 2,000+ classic and pedal-assisted electric bikes, with over 6 million trips taken. Over time Indego has become an integral part of the city’s transportation landscape, offering residents and visitors a convenient, affordable, and sustainable way to get around.

“Creating a transportation system that benefits everyone in our city has always been a priority of my administration and a high-quality bike network is key to achieving that goal,” said Mayor Jim Kenney. “The City’s bike share system, Indego, continues to provide Philadelphians with new, safe, and sustainable options to get wherever they need to go.”

Indego’s commitment to expanding service and support to more Black and historically underserved communities has never been more apparent. This year, Indego grew the service area into Allegheny West, Kingsessing, and Whitman and recently installed a station at Broad & Master, at the Columbia North YMCA as part of the ongoing North Broad expansion. In February, the City and Indego also released the 2023 Indego Equity Plan, providing a roadmap for how Indego will grow over the next 5 years centering social and economic equity in its approach to planning, operating, and sustaining the program.

“Equity is one of the things that sets Indego apart from other bike share systems. As we celebrate Indego’s 8th anniversary I’m extremely proud of our continued commitment to providing a healthy, affordable, and fun mode of transportation for all Philadelphians. With this, we’re excited to bring dozens of new stations and hundreds of new bikes this year into communities that we haven’t previously served. As we expand, our vision is for Indego to be an integral part of how people get around Philadelphia,” said Nate Bowman-Johnston, Indego’s General Manager. 

Indego’s Community Engagement team has worked closely with many community stakeholders to help with station planning and implementation and introduced an online form for residents to share their station site suggestions. This March, in partnership with the City’s Office of Transportation, Indego launched its 8th cohort of the Indego Ambassador Program, offering stipends to community leaders who help educate residents about the benefits of bike share and host Indego group rides in their community. Last winter Indego also awarded four mini-grants to non-profit organizations in Philadelphia that are dedicated to serving their community. In continued collaboration with the Bicycle Coalition of Greater Philadelphia, Indego has offered free educational Learn to Ride classes and group rides and launched its second cohort of the Wheels to Work program, a free 5-week training course for adult job seekers that combined workforce development with cycling skill building. All participants attending these programs are given complimentary Indego passes to help encourage trial use.

In 2016 Indego introduced a reduced fare pass option for PA ACCESS cardholders. Since then, over 10,000 Philadelphians have signed up for the Indego Access Pass which contributes to over 15 percent of total annual trips. Through its work, Indego is recognized as a national leader in the areas of bike share equity and community engagement. Fostering equity is an ongoing effort that is a process rather than a destination. As the Indego system continues to grow and the responsibilities of system partners evolve, it is important to cultivate a shared culture of diversity, equity inclusion, and justice.

“I am extremely proud of the work Indego has done over the last 8 years becoming both a local and national leader in equitable transportation. Through our current system expansion, Indego is providing additional access to more Philadelphia residents and leading with a community-centered approach. The release of our new 5-year Indego Equity Plan is another resource and an example of how Indego is continuing to expand and grow in an equitable way for several years to come,” said Waffiyyah Murray, Indego Program Manager.

Additionally, Indego has also deployed new, energy-saving station equipment in their ongoing system expansion. These energy-saving stations can be configured into smaller pods, allowing the service area to grow more quickly. Indego has also markedly expanded its electric bike fleet to keep pace with the rising demand and observed that more than 50 percent of all trips taken in 2023 were made on Indego electric bikes. This year, Indego will expand its service by adding a total of 600 new docking points and an additional 600 Indego electric bikes to the system. During the rest of 2023, Indego will be focusing on adding more stations up North Broad Street, in Manayunk, and in West Philly as far as 58th street. They’ll also be densifying station capacity in the existing service area to support increased ridership.

This work is made possible because of the long-term financial investment and shared vision of health equity by title sponsor Independence Blue Cross and the support of The City of Philadelphia.

“After eight remarkable years, we remain incredibly proud to be the sponsor of bike share in Philadelphia, and we’re thrilled to celebrate the milestones that Indego continues to reach – especially the program’s commitment to be the most equitable bike share program in America. Indego opens up new ways to get around for everyone, everywhere in the city, and that can make a huge and positive difference in the overall health of our neighborhoods,” said Dr. Rodrigo Cerdá, Senior Vice President of Health Services and Chief Medical Officer at Independence Blue Cross.

As Indego commemorates its eighth anniversary, there is great enthusiasm for what the future holds. Indego is resolute in its commitments, which will bring about further advancement and prospects for its riders.

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