Philadelphia & National Partners Receive $2.5M Grant
for Better Bike Share Partnership
JPB Foundation renews support for program to promote social equity
in bike share, looks to Philadelphia as national model to lead work.
PHILADELPHIA- City of Philadelphia Deputy Managing Director Mike Carroll today announced the award of a $2.5 million grant from the JPB Foundation to the Better Bike Share Partnership, a Philadelphia-based national collaboration focused on improving social and racial equity in bike sharing systems around the country.
This is the second such grant from the JPB Foundation to the Better Bike Share Partnership (BBSP) and extends their support for the next two years. The initial grant of $5.8 million in 2014 laid the groundwork for the Partnership. Philadelphia’s Office of Transportation & Infrastructure Systems leads the Partnership and works closely with People for Bikes, the National Association of City Transportation Officials (NACTO) and the Bicycle Coalition of Greater Philadelphia (BCGP).
“The JPB Foundation’s support has been absolutely critical to our successes at making Philadelphia’s Indego bike share the most equitable system in the country,” said Carroll. “This underscores Mayor Kenney’s commitment to creating growth with equity in Philadelphia. We’re thrilled for continued funding for the Better Bike Share Partnership which has brought together a dynamic set of local partners including the Bicycle Coalition and the Indego staff, along with prestigious national partners such as People For Bikes and NACTO.”
The announcement comes just weeks after the Indego program’s second birthday and its second major expansion which includes 14 new stations and an additional 200 bicycles. The grant will ensure that Indego’s high level of community engagement, programming, rides, classes and collaboration will continue through 2019.
In the last three years BBSP has made a huge impact in both Philadelphia’s Indego program and in shifting the national dialogue around bike share. With a long list of firsts and national achievements, BBSP has made bike share more accessible, to more people than ever before.
In Philadelphia:
- First system to incorporate cash payment options for unbanked and underbanked individuals
- Conducted detailed market research to understand barriers for low-income riders
- Implemented the most effective low-income discount fare program in the nation through the Indego Access Pass, reaching over 1000 Philadelphians
- Created the first mass media campaign for any bike share system
- Led over 70 safety education classes and 58 rides in partnership with the Bicycle Coalition of Greater Philadelphia
Nationwide:
- NACTO Researched and wrote more than a dozen white papers and reports on improving social equity in bike share
- NACTO Incorporated learnings from BBSP partners in trainings and conferences across the country
- PeopleForBikes administered close to $900,000 in grant funding over three years to partnerships of bike share operators, cities and local nonprofits to 14 different agencies
- PeopleForBikes wote and co-wrote more than 50 blog posts and articles, images and videos.
About
The City of Philadelphia launched Indego in 2015 as the city’s newest form of public transportation with 60 stations and 600 bikes and expanded twice since launch, bringing the total to 119 stations and 1,200 bikes. Indego offers 24/7 access to the City on your schedule. Indego is an initiative of the City of Philadelphia and sponsored by Independence Blue Cross. Learn more about Indego at www.rideindego.com
The Better Bike Share Partnership is a collaboration funded by The JPB Foundation to build equitable and replicable bike share systems. The partners include The City of Philadelphia, Bicycle Coalition of Greater Philadelphia, the National Association of City Transportation Officials (NACTO) and the PeopleForBikes Foundation.
Learn more about Better Bike Share at www.betterbikeshare.org