Philly bike share program aims to increase ridership among low-income residents, teens, people of color

Philadelphia's bike share program is aiming to increase rider access as a part of a new five-year plan. Indego is specifically seeking to grow ridership among people of color and low-income communities through its new equity plan, which calls for expanded routes in underserved neighborhoods and more e-bikes.

Within the program's first year, analysis revealed that the least-used rental stations were in areas where the median income is $25,000.

The plan aims to create a pricing structure that is more representative of the city and would entice more people to actually ride the bikes. There is also an emphasis on eliminating non-financial barriers that can dissuade riders, especially youths aged 14-21 and older adults ages 62 and older. Those barriers include the ability to ride a bike, communication methods, technology access, digital literacy and payment systems.

The city has committed to adding more stations in areas where the majority of people of color and low-income families live over the next five years and will record data that tracks equity performance metrics.