Philadelphia's Indego Bikeshare System Reports Equity Successes in its Second Year

Jim Saksa evaluates the performance of Indego, Philadelphia's bikeshare system, on its second anniversary. The second anniversary was celebrated with a substantial upgrade: "200 new bikes and a $930,000 grant from the William Penn Foundation to support community outreach programs over the next 30 months," which supplements an expansion last year that included 300 new bikes, two dozen new stations, and a membership program. According to Sanksa, these expansions are a sign of a "maturing bike share program."

Saksa calls on Aaron Ritz, transportation systems manager for the Office of Transportation and Infrastructure Systems (OTIS), to evaluate the program in terms of its goals to provide equitable access for "Philadelphians of every social strata and background." Ritz says the Indego ACCESS program, launched last year, has helped make the system's ridership reflect the city as a whole. "In Indego’s first year, 67 percent of riders were white. In 2016, that percentage fell to 55 percent, with 19 percent of riders black, 13 percent Latino, 7 percent Asian and 6 percent multiracial or declining to say," reports Saksa.