Indego Bikes Review: My Favorite Way to Explore Philly
Philadelphia isn’t known for having world-class public transit. But it is one of the oldest, most dense, and most walkable cities in the U.S. This combination makes it ideal for biking.
When I visited a friend in Philly for a weekend, I bought a one-month Indego Bike pass for $5 (it’s normally $20, but they were running a promotion), and we took them everywhere.
It’s a good deal, it’s easy to use and sign up, and it’s the fastest way to get to most places.
Here’s what I liked about the Indego Bikes and some downsides as well.
I’m no stranger to bike share systems. I’ve logged over 1000 miles on New York’s Citi Bike and shared all the pros and cons. As I traveled around the world without a car, I came to appreciate the power of a good bike share system in cities from Barcelona to Medellín. I know from the user experience what makes a system work.
Let’s get into what I like about Indego.
Philly Has a Solid Bike Lane Network
Lots of cities have bike share systems, but if their roads don’t have a critical mass of protected bike lanes, it’s a much less pleasant experience. As I wrote about, protected bike lanes make streets safer for everyone.
I don’t want to bike with cars behind me or passing me. I want to be separated from them.
Philadelphia’s protected bike lane network seemed pretty good. I noticed major corridors like Spruce Street and the Schuylkill River Greenway. I could get nearly everywhere I wanted to go using mostly protected or calm streets, especially when I planned my route ahead of time.
Luckily, I had my friend who lives there with me to make this easy.
Decent Pricing
I got lucky that I came during Philadelphia’s bike month. So I bought a monthly membership for 75% off, which came to $5. Even in non-promotional periods, $20 per month is a steal if you live there.
They also have a $15 offer for 24 hours. This seems a little pricey, but when I consider how much easier it is to get around on a bike than with Philly’s subpar transit system, the few extra dollars make it worth it.
The pricing is great compared to other U.S. cities. In New York, a day pass is $25.
A City Built for Short Rides
Philadelphia feels like a small city to me. It has the feeling a place where you can get around anywhere on a bike. It has that old, pre-automobile street design.
Many neighborhoods are only a 10 to 25-minute ride apart. That makes a bike share perfect.
So yes, it will cost a few more bucks than getting transit fares, but in return you’ll get to see more of the city.
I also love observing cities while riding a bike around. As I wrote about in my essay on biking from the Bronx to Brooklyn, biking in cities teaches me a lot.
App Is Easy to Use
You’ll have to download the app and go through a sign-up form. But after that, it’s easy. It’s not as slick as New York’s Citi Bike app, but it’s just as functional.
You can see where the docks are and how many bikes are available at them.
Check Docks Before You Go
Twice, out of around ten rides I took, the closest dock didn’t have two bikes for my friend and I. Use the app so you can know what’s available
Some Downsides of Indego Bike and Room for Improvement
Every bike share network can always improve by…
- Having more bikes and docks available.
- Working with the city to have more protected bike lanes
So those are the two biggest things. But as a visitor, here are a few things that would’ve made my experience easier.
Docking Issues
Once, I received an error message about a bike. It turned out, it was in sleep mode. On the dock, there’s a button you can hit to “wake up” the bike. So if your Indego Bike is giving you an error message, check for that.
E-bike Pricing
E-bikes are amazing, but at an additional 20 cents a minute, the costs add up. This is a better deal than New York (everything is a better deal than anything in New York), but still for a 25-minute ride is $5, double the cost of taking the bus.
To encourage more people to bike, we want to make e-bike rides on par with the cost of taking public transportation.
The only way to make these finances work is for cities to subsidize the bike share systems, to recognize that to encourage biking means less driving and rideshares.
This means less congestion, air pollution, and better health outcomes for city residents.
Sidewalk Awareness
One last flaw of Philly’s Indego: all of the docks are either on the sidewalk or face the sidewalk. I know how these fights go. Local residents don’t want to give up a precious street parking spot, so the bikes go on the sidewalk.
This encourages sidewalk riding, though.
IndeHero
Indego has piggybacked on the success of New York’ “Bike Angels” system. The idea is simple. If you take bikes at full docks and drop them off at docks that need them, you earn points. This helps keep the bike network balanced.
You can then redeem these points to extend your Indego Bike pass. I prefer New York’s, which also allows you to redeem them for free e-bike rides, but it’s worth knowing about.
In two days, I got 75 points without trying at all.
The Best Way to Explore a City
Whether you use the Indego Bikes or some other bike option, I think on bike is the best way to explore cities. It allows you to cover a lot of ground, but still have that feel of a pedestrian. And it’s not just for big cities, even Harrisburg has a bike share system.
Room for Growth, But It’s a Good System
If you’re spending time in Philadelphia, Indego is an excellent, affordable, and fun way to explore. For residents, it’s an unbeatable value. As cities rethink transportation in an era where we know we can’t rely on cars, bike share systems like Indego are showing us the array of options available.
Expanding the bike network and improving bike lane connectivity will make this option even better. Fortunately, the city seems headed in the right direction.
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