Philly bike share glitch creating hassle for riders looking to upgrade

 An IndegoFlex key fob — the kind that can't be upgraded to Indego30 monthly plan.(Emma Lee/WHYY)

An IndegoFlex key fob — the kind that can't be upgraded to Indego30 monthly plan.(Emma Lee/WHYY)

Philadelphia’s busy bike-sharing program Indego has hit a technical glitch that could get in the way of converting casual users into regular riders.

People joining the Indego bike-share program have options: buy a monthly Indego30 membership at $15 that gives you unlimited one-hour-rides or pick the $10 per-year IndegoFlex membership and pay $4 for each trip.

The problem is what if you want to upgrade.  It’s not so easy says Aaron Ritz, bicycle program manager for the city.

“You’ve got one username and it only allows you to associate one type of membership with it,” he said.

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So upgrading would require creating a new username. And joining the monthly membership program requires getting a new key fob.

“It’s unfortunate, you can’t just add another pass to the account because the whole database that drives the system is based on who you are and your identity is based on that username,” he added.

Ritz says he can’t say how long it will take to fix the glitch.  Indego is offering a one-time $10 credit for people who want to upgrade to cover the hassle.

 

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