​​Indego is expanding, again: Philly bike-share program to double in size by 2026

Five million rides into Indego’s bike-share operation, Philadelphia officials have announced another multi-year expansion.

Indego’s 2022 Expansion Plan follows a successful 2021 that has seen record ridership, according to city officials.

So far this year, Indego has added more than 25 new stations and 300 new e-bikes to its fleet, prioritizing expansion to underserved neighborhoods and bolstering support in areas that have seen increased ridership.

Officials hope those results are a harbinger of things to come.

“I think that the results from this year really show what Indego can do over the next five years,” Deputy Managing Director for Transportation Mike Carroll said in a statement.

Mayor Jim Kenney, who praised the system expansion, spoke to the role Indego played amid the early days of the coronavirus pandemic, as commuters sought alternatives to crowded mass transit.

The city in 2020 awarded Indego’s original operator, Bicycle Transit Systems, a 10-year contract to continue running the bike-share system. What started out as 60 stations and 600 bicycles has grown to more than 165 stations, over 1,500 bicycles, and a fleet of e-bikes that were introduced in 2019.

Next year, Indego plans to grow by more than 30 new stations and 400 e-bikes, with the intention of expanding further into West Philly and South Philly. New stations are also on the horizon for Kelly Drive and East Falls. Stations are expected to arrive in early spring, Indego officials said.

By the end of 2026, the system plans to double in size, reaching residents in South, West, North, and Northwest Philly with 3,500 bikes and 350 stations that stretch from Germantown to the Navy Yard, and from Cobbs Creek to the Delaware River.

Indego officials, pointing to the importance of community engagement in its planning process, said that community members can submit suggestions for station locations online.