PHILADELPHIA — Indego bike share will be expanding in 2019 as part of a comprehensive program update, City Officials announced today. The 2018 Indego Business Plan Update is one of the first outputs from the City’s CONNECT Transportation Plan, released last week. The Indego Business Plan Update provides a framework for the continued success and growth of the program.

“The Indego program is a great example of CONNECT values in action; it’s transportation that is making our city more livable, more competitive, and with unwavering focus on safety and equity,” said Mike DiBerardinis, Managing Director for the City of Philadelphia. “The 2018 Business Plan Update gives the City the tools and insights needed to grow the program for the future.”

Highlights of the plan include:

  • Goals for expanded system size of 250+ stations
  • Updated mission, vision and goals to reflect CONNECT values, highlight equity
  • Recommendations for piloting new technology such as e-bikes, smart bikes, app integration
  • Strategies for increasing efficiency and reducing cost while maintaining high service level

The Business Plan Update is the result of six months of analysis and research into industry trends and best practices from across the country. It updates the assumptions from the City’s 2013 Philadelphia Bike Share Strategic Business Plan with data from the past three years of operating the Indego system. The plan was funded through a grant from the William Penn Foundation, and conducted by Foursquare ITP, a national transportation consultant with expertise in both bike share and strategic transit planning. A link to the Executive Summary can be downloaded a www.phillyotis.com/indego.

Implementation of early action items from the 2018 Business Plan Update are already underway. In early November, riders will have the opportunity to help the Indego with a field test of ten electric-assist bicycles over the next two months. This pilot will be used to evaluate e-bikes broader use in the future. In Spring 2019 the City expects to expand the station network by up to 20 new stations and 200 bicycles. Station locations will be prioritized based on recommendations from the business plan.

Also announced today, the City of Philadelphia will be releasing regulations for dockless bike share for public comment in early November. Dockless bike share allows users to check out bicycles through a smartphone app and does not require users to ‘dock’ a bicycle at a specific station or location. Companies will be able to apply for a permit to operate dockless bike share following the adoption of these regulations. Once the applications are reviewed and approved, they could begin operating in Philadelphia in spring 2019.

“Dockless bike share is an emerging part of the shared use landscape,” said Michael Carroll, Deputy Managing Director for the Office of Transportation, Infrastructure and Sustainability (oTIS). “We’ve been monitoring dockless bike share since before our January release of the RFI for Advanced Bike Sharing Technology. There has been a lot of movement in this industry, and we’ve seen that dockless can work when cities put in the correct regulations. We believe that bike share should benefit all Philadelphians and we welcome public input as this process moves forward.”

ABOUT INDEGO
The City of Philadelphia launched Indego in 2015 as the city’s newest form of public transportation with 60 stations and 600 bikes and has expanded to nearly 130 stations and 1,300 bikes today. 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. Indego is part of the Better Bike Share Partnership, which seeks to develop bike share equitably and sustainably across the country. For more information, visit https://www.rideindego.com/ and follow @RideIndego on Twitter.

About CONNECT Week
CONNECT Week (October 15-19) celebrates the City’s newly launched Strategic Transportation Plan. Over the next seven years (2019-2025), CONNECT will set priorities for implementation and serve as the Administration’s transportation framework. CONNECT’s vision is a transportation system that benefits everyone. It is a system that is safe, affordable, accessible, and reliable at moving Philadelphians, visitors, and commerce so neighborhoods thrive, people are healthy, and the economy grows. To learn more, visit http://www.phillyotis.com/portfolio-item/connect-phl/.

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