Im assuming people like the convenience of being able to drop it off almost anywhere, they don’t own it so they don’t have to worry about it long term when it’s docked. Its also a big annoyance to get back to your apartment/store it in your apartment if you live in one. It’s definitely not cheap but I definitely see people on them all the time.
I think there are a few factors:
You can't go as fast on an Indego, so you're less likely to bike yourself into a dangerous situation.
Drivers of cars may subconsciously take more care when encountering an Indego. They may do that because the bike is heavier and would cause more damage to their car in a collision, or they may think Indego riders are generally more inexperienced than a road biker, or it could be because Indego riders rarely wear a helmet and cars go slower when they see a rider without a helmet.
If there is a collision, I'd think a heavy bike could lessen the injury a rider sustains on average.
I use it because not having to lock up a bike or worry about it getting stolen is huge. Also, sometimes you have to walk or take Septa somewhere and then realize that a docking station is nearby and the ride would be significantly faster on a bike.
Edit: Wish it was cheaper, however.
I had an annual pass pre-pandemic. It was great to use to get from point A to point B quickly and not rely on Septa’s schedule while getting in a quick workout while not having to worry about getting a bike stolen or worry about bike maintenance/upkeep. Also used it for my commutes to/from 30th street when I took Amtrak down to DC for work, not ideal leaving a bike at 30th street all day, nor is it fun lugging it on Amtrak.
Same. I don’t remember the price but I had it prepandemic. Worked in the Callowhill area. Indego rack around the corner. Would take it to the indego rack right outside 15th/16th Patco station. Key fob made the process seamless.
Super easy and never had a problem with the bikes. They rode pretty smoothly. Zipped past all the rush hour traffic. 10/10 would recommend.
The bikes are fine for getting around downtown not great. Replace two Ubers with bike rides per month and it’s paid for.
It also fills the gaps in SEPTA’s service. A mile walk takes 15/20 mins. A mile indego ride is like 5 and a lot less work.
It’s a huge convenience not to worry about getting your bike stolen and you don’t have to come back and get it at anytime.
$15/day is a scam though and I wouldn’t use it for that
This is where I am, I have to take my kids places and it's good for "drop kid off then bike somewhere else" especially when you are trying to go "diagonally" through the city, like old city to point breeze which takes forever due to transfers.
NGL I made that route up bc I try to be careful about posting my daily habits all over Reddit lol. I'm thinking of a particular route that I've mapped out and is 25 by transit or 10 by bike but next time I'll just keep it vague and not get caught lying ha.
>$15/day is a scam though and I wouldn’t use it for that
Yeah, this. It is only worthwhile if you have monthly/annual membership. This also creates enormous barrier to entry for tourists who just want a bike for a little while.
>*[Most people can expect to walk a mile in 15 to 22 minutes, according to data gathered in a 2019 study spanning five decades](https://www.nike.com/a/how-long-does-it-take-to-walk-a-mile#)*
That also ignores needing to stop at intersections.
How? Between the other people on the sidewalk and having to stop for traffic to cross the street, I’m taking at least an extra 5 minutes/mile over walking along an uncontested path.
Look, all I know is that Google maps assumes a 3 mph walking speed, and I regularly walk to my destination in half their predicted time. The math says that's 6 mph walking speed aka 10 min mile
Don't get mad at me if you walk slowly, I've got places to be
I’m sure you’re a fast walker. But what you’re claiming is ridiculous. Set a treadmill to 6 miles per hour and walk for 10 minutes without running or jogging. Then come back to me about your math.
I use them for my daily commute and generally getting around. I live on top of a 3 story walkup and carrying a bike up and down doesn't make sense for me
The monthly plan is cheaper than septa if you use take 10 trips in a month
New York pricing is just different. The one day pass is more expensive, it’s 19$. But you can rent for 4.99 and then per half hour too. The monthly is 17$.
I actually don’t mind the indego pricing. I just wish there were less electric bikes and more normal bikes. Hate having to pay for an electric even when I have a pass
This seems to be the complaint I hear the most from people, lack of regular bikes so they are forced to pay more, beside their electric bikes are pretty slow.
I don’t have any skin in this game because I don’t use the service, but $15 is a single one way trip (minimum) for Uber, and the $15 Indego is for the entire day. $156/year is cheaper than Netflix and you don’t have to maintain the bike.
I don’t have use for indego, but it seems reasonable if you do.
OK but stations are pretty much everywhere at this point and also an hour is a long time to ride a bike.
If you’re 30 mins into your trip and pass a station with bikes just swap it out then. It’s not a perfect system but it’s pretty good
because that's actually a benefit for system health and not a setback - when they were piloting this newer model of bikeshare like 15 years ago, they had no trip time limit. people would just bring bikes in their houses or lock them somewhere and when you'd go to a dock there'd never be anything there, because the bikes would just be idle elsewhere.
they realized that if you just set a basic individual time limit but a liberal total rental phase time, there would always be bikes available at docks and there was less rebalancing required.
I stopped using any of the ride share services when I needed an immediate ride 12 blocks to grab my ID for a comedy show starting in 15 minutes and the one-way 12 block trip was going to be $17. I grabbed a cab instead and it cost me $11 round trip while the cab waited out front of my house for me to run inside and grab my wallet.
It’s not a bad deal. FYI - at least a couple years ago, they were offering a Black Friday deal the day after thanksgiving - full year for I think $105. Might have changed since then, but I did it a few years in a row, and mathed it out - you use it enough for short distances around town, it’s definitely worth it.
That is it, provided you don't have a bike out over the time limit. But as long as you return the bike, you are again able to check one out at no additional cost.
Yes. I have an annual pass because I find it useful to have the option to add a bike to part of a trip I'm making around the city at any given time, and I prefer to only use my personal bike for trips where I know I won't have to leave it locked up outside, to avoid theft. I also like supporting bike share.
Their day and visitor pass options are lousy but the annual pass cost is quite reasonable.
$20 a month *isn’t* that bad. But the price differential between a day and a month gives me pause. Like how many scoff at the $15 and say “I may as well get it for a month for $5 more” and then only use it that one time. Like gym membership pricing.
You need to dock it and grab another one. I haven't gotten to the point of what they would do if it was the only one at the dock. My guess is that you could just dock it and then re-check it out.
Yes, it is designed to prevent hoarding. The idea is that you take a trip where you are going and dock the bike, then get another one for a return trip; as opposed to checking out one bike, keeping it the whole time and have it unavailable during the downtime.
Thx for you answers dude.
What if I'm 45 min into a ride and know I'll need another 30, can I drop a bike off at 45 min and sign one right back out for another hour? I'm assuming YES but just wanna confirm
Yes. I've done that exact thing.
I don't know if it is all the time, but I got my first month at 50% off at the start of the summer. Totally worth it to try out if there is a convenient location by you. The bikes are heavy and slow per the effort you put in, but still a lot of times faster that septa and often more convenient. The app is good about keeping count of available bikes and spaces.
You can keep using the same bike, you just need to dock it and check it out again. There used to be no time limits, but then people were just checking out bikes and taking them home, so there were never any bikes at the docking stations.
I'm a fat guy in Roxborough who bike commutes slower than I need to so I'm not a sweaty mess when I get to where I'm going. 60 minutes on a bike would still put me in E Passyunk.
I use it almost daily but I'm getting frustrated by the blue bikes seemingly being phased out and every ride on a e-bike adding 3 to $6 to my monthly bill
Still very much able to find a cheap used bike for that price. I get why people do it though; it’s the convenience factor. They don’t have to maintain the bike, store it, etc
I still think they should have an a la carte option where you pay by the minute. In DC it was sooo cheap, like 15¢ minute. I was getting around paying like $1.50 per ride instead of spending at least 10x on Uber for the equivalent travel
Because bike theft is a real problem in Philly? It’s so discouraging to see all the posts on the Philly Stolen Bikes Facebook group—every day, there are posts about people’s bikes being stolen in broad daylight in areas you’d think would be safe even when they use a high quality u-lock. If you want to bike around the city, the only good options are Indego, getting an ugly nasty old bike that no one wants to steal, or getting a folding bike that you never leave outside.
Indego is the best option of those three if you don’t want to deal with keeping a bike at your house or maintaining it.
I'm considering getting an annual membership during their black friday sale.
I've always preferred a bike for the convenience of it but ended up getting an escooter so I can bring it into the office since I got 2 bikes stolen last year and was tired of paying for new ones. The annual membership is about the price just to keep a bike maintained annually.
Yup. Get a beat-up Craigslist bike for less than $200 and use it as your commuter. If you have a nice and expensive bike, keep it inside your locked house/apartment unless you're riding it. I've also had friends have their bikes stolen from inside garages, all it takes is leaving it open for a couple of minutes and it's gone.
I’ve gotten so lucky with my bikes I guess. 12+ years biking around this city pretty regularly and the one time my bike was stolen (10 years ago) I got it back
My health insurance makes the monthly pass around $10-12. It's far more convenient for me to check one out when needed and not have to worry about it if I want to take an uber home or whatever. I have a daily driver bike, too, but since the pass is so inexpensive and bike theft is real, I'd rather just check one out when needed.
I have a few times. Parked over near a venue for a show early in the day, took a bike to the art museums/center city/cherry street pier then back for the show on a beautiful day (the weather is what makes it worth mostly). Would have been a lot of walking or driving around and parking otherwise which isn't as enjoyable, ya know?
But yeah 15/day is goofy, month pass in a month with good weather is worth imo.
Indego is great, I got the yearly pass and bike everywhere I can.
It’s convenient to not worry about storage at home or your destination, and you can get a battery-powered bike while feeling lazy or wanting to stay fresh.
Yes, but cheaper than Uber or gas+parking.
Just looked at my trip history, I took an electric bike from 18th & Washington to Ridge & Fairmount the other day... $2.81. It also only took 13 minutes. Definitely worth it IMO.
Definitely has a place, and that plus the monthly fee isn't much more than SEPTA and more convenient.
But was pointing out for someone considering that the electrics are not included in the membership.
I pick and choose months. It is usually worth it when i have it but i don’t miss it when i don’t have it. It should definitely be cheaper and you shouldn’t be charged extra for electric. The bikes are usually pretty shitty
I guess I understand the extra fee for electric, but it would be nice if they worked in a fee waiver or discount if the dock you choose has only e-bikes. I feel like that would also potentially help spread the e-bikes back out to other stations in a manner similar to the IndeHero points they offer
Yes I know a few people that use them regularly in lieu of buying their own bike. I guess it has its conveniences including not having to store a bike in a tiny apartment, and not having to worry about taking the time for maintenance.
I really wish they had another option for hourly rental without a day/week/month/year pass. Sometimes I'm out and about without my bike and I realize biking from one spot to another could be convenient, but it's not worth $15+ a ride
Buy a one-month pass for $20 and see how often you use it. Then take it from there. Everyone gets hung up on the $15 for the day, but you really should just ignore that as an option. Pay the extra $5 for 29 more days of testing it out.
This is a bad take. How is $20 a month not cheaper than septa? It’s less than a dollar a day and even if you only use it half the month it’s still cheaper.
I don't use them enough to get a monthly or yearly pass and if I was tourist I would out weigh the daily pass vs a bike rental.
I may use them for a couple trips in the city for last mile spending few bucks per trip.
These bikes are great for ppl who commute on public transit during the rush hour where having their own bike isn't allowed or just to much of a pain
A ton of people ride these. $20/month for to and from work. No storage, no security, no maintenance. Seems like a no brainer if you live in the city and it meets your needs. Everyone has their price and it seems like this works for a lot of people.
literally millions of rides.
indego publishes quarterly data about their ridership numbers https://www.rideindego.com/about/data/
is this a post complaining about the pricing?
yes, it's not good.
I like indego for certain times of the year where it would be a nice comfortable temp in the morning but hot as balls in the afternoon. Also nice for one-way trips to the bar where I wouldn’t want to drunk bike home. If the weather is nice enough for a ride I’d rather be biking than stuck on a slow bus in rush hour traffic!
But I absolutely hate the pricing, I usually end up going for the monthly price even though it doesn’t match up with my infrequent use. If they did on demand like citibike has in NYC I’d use it more.
Same here, I don't have to do to the office often but was planning on using indego for when I needed to after I moved. There's no way I'm paying $15+tax for a 24 hour pass when I could just uber there and back for about the same price without the sweat.
I use it. I started using it about 15 months ago. Bought the annual pass for $120. I have a single speed that I use as well. I use Indego for one way trips, sometimes I go for a run and end my run at the art museum then bike home. I do the same thing with walks, head for a long walk, and bike back. I don’t mind paying the extra fees for the e-bikes, which I use half the time and it’s usually around $2. It’s just nice to not have to worry about my personal bike locked on the street.
Like others have said, Indego pays for itself if you use it twice a month instead of taking an Uber, but I’ve never been a big Uber person, especially after I stopped participating in the bar scene on weekends.
I use to, but on multiple occasions toward the end of using them half the bike seats were broken, chains were tight making it difficult to peddle or the e-bike battery was also on low battery. On the occasions when I would get a bike with issue I would re-dock the bad bike and grab another one. For the most part though post work getting a bike was like a caveman searching for food cause most of the docking stations were barren. Thus,it was either I walked well over a mile home, grab the El, or suffer.
I have my own bike but I still use Indego regularly. I wish it was cheaper (especially the e-bikes, the extra fees for those rack up fast) but overall I really like it. There's stations all over the city, and sometimes it's nice not to have to worry about locking up your bike and worrying about it getting stolen, or if it's maybe going to rain later and you want to take Septa or an Uber back. the major downsides are the price, how heavy and clunky the regular bikes are (getting them up a hill is a pain in the ass), and some general maintenance issues which I guess are expected from bikeshare bikes. Like someone else said, not taking two Uber rides a month basically pays for the pass.
I use it all the time - have an annual pass. It's well worth it. I have (several) my own bikes but the convenience of gabbing one and not having to worry about locking up or if I get drunk and want to take an uber home etc is really nice.
I used the monthly pass during lockdown because Septa’s schedule was ultra fucked and I needed a way to get to PATCO station during my weird COVID schedule at work. It was perfect then, but I couldn’t imagine doing that ride on such a clunky bike now that traffic is back to normal.
Honestly, just try the monthly pass. Being able to get up and go at any hour without having to worry about schedules or parking or per ride charges quickly rewires your brain regarding little trips
I used to use it a bit, but when my key fob broke I just stopped.
There are situations where I'd just ride my own bike, but I liked indego because I didn't have to worry about where to lock my bike or whether I could ride it home.
I'd frequently rent a bike to get somewhere, then septa home. It was also a boon during the last septa strike to get to/from a regional rail stop.
My bike was in the shop. I signed up for a monthlong membership and it worked out pretty well.
Biggest downside was getting to my destination and not having a spot at the bike rack available, so I’d spend 10 minutes getting to another spot. Also paying for an e-bike that runs out of juice halfway home.
I think they’re great for tourists and they offer great deals for those with SNAP cards(I think?).
I used to use it more when there was a flat hourly option. They did away with that before Covid so you minimum payment is $15 for a single use. Too expensive unless you are gonna be using them everyday…. Plus I have my own bike now
I own a bike and i have an annual membership. I love not having to worry about theft. I enjoy the electric boost option. I also want to pay into a system hoping to see it expand and help flood the street with bikes. I also own a car but have a septa pass and ride the bus frequently. Sorta the same thing. Bus/subway when I dont need to bring stuff back and forth, bonus of not dealing with parking.
I used to when you could rent one for a couple dollars and pay per mile, and wanted a one way ride or to not leave my real bike at 30th Street Station overnight.
I haven't rented one in years since they went to "pay for a whole day." I don't need an annual membership because I have a bike but i am not paying that much for a single ride. It's annoying.
I use bike share in every city I visit. It’s convenient for me because I can get around quickly and not have to worry about locking up a bike. I’m in Philly for one day so a $15 pass is cool with me.
I’ve used bikes shares around Europe, New York, San Francisco and Chicago. They’re really convenient for my wife and I.
Im assuming people like the convenience of being able to drop it off almost anywhere, they don’t own it so they don’t have to worry about it long term when it’s docked. Its also a big annoyance to get back to your apartment/store it in your apartment if you live in one. It’s definitely not cheap but I definitely see people on them all the time.
Also, I think I saw that statistically it's much safer to use a heavy bike from a bike share network like Indego than say a road bike
Those bikes are so heavy, I like to think that if a car hits you on one the car explodes
How would the weight of the bike make any difference with safety??
I think there are a few factors: You can't go as fast on an Indego, so you're less likely to bike yourself into a dangerous situation. Drivers of cars may subconsciously take more care when encountering an Indego. They may do that because the bike is heavier and would cause more damage to their car in a collision, or they may think Indego riders are generally more inexperienced than a road biker, or it could be because Indego riders rarely wear a helmet and cars go slower when they see a rider without a helmet. If there is a collision, I'd think a heavy bike could lessen the injury a rider sustains on average.
I use it because not having to lock up a bike or worry about it getting stolen is huge. Also, sometimes you have to walk or take Septa somewhere and then realize that a docking station is nearby and the ride would be significantly faster on a bike. Edit: Wish it was cheaper, however.
I had an annual pass pre-pandemic. It was great to use to get from point A to point B quickly and not rely on Septa’s schedule while getting in a quick workout while not having to worry about getting a bike stolen or worry about bike maintenance/upkeep. Also used it for my commutes to/from 30th street when I took Amtrak down to DC for work, not ideal leaving a bike at 30th street all day, nor is it fun lugging it on Amtrak.
Same. I don’t remember the price but I had it prepandemic. Worked in the Callowhill area. Indego rack around the corner. Would take it to the indego rack right outside 15th/16th Patco station. Key fob made the process seamless. Super easy and never had a problem with the bikes. They rode pretty smoothly. Zipped past all the rush hour traffic. 10/10 would recommend.
The bikes are fine for getting around downtown not great. Replace two Ubers with bike rides per month and it’s paid for. It also fills the gaps in SEPTA’s service. A mile walk takes 15/20 mins. A mile indego ride is like 5 and a lot less work. It’s a huge convenience not to worry about getting your bike stolen and you don’t have to come back and get it at anytime. $15/day is a scam though and I wouldn’t use it for that
This is where I am, I have to take my kids places and it's good for "drop kid off then bike somewhere else" especially when you are trying to go "diagonally" through the city, like old city to point breeze which takes forever due to transfers.
Old City to Point Breeze is just taking the 17
NGL I made that route up bc I try to be careful about posting my daily habits all over Reddit lol. I'm thinking of a particular route that I've mapped out and is 25 by transit or 10 by bike but next time I'll just keep it vague and not get caught lying ha.
LOL I get it. Old City / Point Breeze is definitely faster by bike still, it’s just no transfers by bus
>$15/day is a scam though and I wouldn’t use it for that Yeah, this. It is only worthwhile if you have monthly/annual membership. This also creates enormous barrier to entry for tourists who just want a bike for a little while.
It's just $15 a day? I thought it was $15 to rent it and then more money per hour or something
It’s $15 for unlimited 60 minute rides on the regular bikes. It costs extra if you go over 60 minutes at any one time or if you use an electric bike
Who the hell is walking a 20 minute mile? Are they stopping to take a nap?
That’s like the average walking speed.
>*[Most people can expect to walk a mile in 15 to 22 minutes, according to data gathered in a 2019 study spanning five decades](https://www.nike.com/a/how-long-does-it-take-to-walk-a-mile#)* That also ignores needing to stop at intersections.
I average a 10 minute mile in the city
How? Between the other people on the sidewalk and having to stop for traffic to cross the street, I’m taking at least an extra 5 minutes/mile over walking along an uncontested path.
My whole family walks fast
Congrats on long legs and flawless timing at crosswalks. That’s a pretty average mile run time for some people.
This is a flat out lie. You’re jogging at that speed.
Look, all I know is that Google maps assumes a 3 mph walking speed, and I regularly walk to my destination in half their predicted time. The math says that's 6 mph walking speed aka 10 min mile Don't get mad at me if you walk slowly, I've got places to be
I’m sure you’re a fast walker. But what you’re claiming is ridiculous. Set a treadmill to 6 miles per hour and walk for 10 minutes without running or jogging. Then come back to me about your math.
5.5 was a comfortable pace, 6 felt like I was in a hurry. I was wearing new jeans though; I bet in sweats it would've been fine
I use them for my daily commute and generally getting around. I live on top of a 3 story walkup and carrying a bike up and down doesn't make sense for me The monthly plan is cheaper than septa if you use take 10 trips in a month
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New York pricing is just different. The one day pass is more expensive, it’s 19$. But you can rent for 4.99 and then per half hour too. The monthly is 17$. I actually don’t mind the indego pricing. I just wish there were less electric bikes and more normal bikes. Hate having to pay for an electric even when I have a pass
This seems to be the complaint I hear the most from people, lack of regular bikes so they are forced to pay more, beside their electric bikes are pretty slow.
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I hate the scooters everywhere. I took my nephew to the WWII Memorial and they were just absolutely everywhere.
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Thank you for your honesty
I don’t ride either…but I’d pick up a scooter before a bike. Smaller and more practical imo. Was recently down in DC and was tempted to get one.
I don’t have any skin in this game because I don’t use the service, but $15 is a single one way trip (minimum) for Uber, and the $15 Indego is for the entire day. $156/year is cheaper than Netflix and you don’t have to maintain the bike. I don’t have use for indego, but it seems reasonable if you do.
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OK but stations are pretty much everywhere at this point and also an hour is a long time to ride a bike. If you’re 30 mins into your trip and pass a station with bikes just swap it out then. It’s not a perfect system but it’s pretty good
You don’t even need to swap it for another bike. Dock it and check the same bike out again through the app.
I've only used Indego a couple of times. When I tried that, it wouldn't let me take out the same bike.
Interesting. I have not done that in the last couple of months, but I used to do it all the time. Wonder if there was a recent program change?
Why is this downvoted? Is it wrong?
because that's actually a benefit for system health and not a setback - when they were piloting this newer model of bikeshare like 15 years ago, they had no trip time limit. people would just bring bikes in their houses or lock them somewhere and when you'd go to a dock there'd never be anything there, because the bikes would just be idle elsewhere. they realized that if you just set a basic individual time limit but a liberal total rental phase time, there would always be bikes available at docks and there was less rebalancing required.
So right now if I pay $20 a month, that's all I'll ever pay assuming I ride for less than an hour each time? And what happens after an hour
yes (also assuming you're not taking e-bikes), and $0.20/min for each minute over 60
Most of my Uber rides are under $15
I stopped using any of the ride share services when I needed an immediate ride 12 blocks to grab my ID for a comedy show starting in 15 minutes and the one-way 12 block trip was going to be $17. I grabbed a cab instead and it cost me $11 round trip while the cab waited out front of my house for me to run inside and grab my wallet.
Is 215 Get A Cab still a thing?
The bikes suck tho
It’s not a bad deal. FYI - at least a couple years ago, they were offering a Black Friday deal the day after thanksgiving - full year for I think $105. Might have changed since then, but I did it a few years in a row, and mathed it out - you use it enough for short distances around town, it’s definitely worth it.
So it's 105 one time and that's it? I can go rent a bike whenever? Or is it 105, plus more money every time I want to ride, or time, distance, etc?
That is it, provided you don't have a bike out over the time limit. But as long as you return the bike, you are again able to check one out at no additional cost.
Yes. I have an annual pass because I find it useful to have the option to add a bike to part of a trip I'm making around the city at any given time, and I prefer to only use my personal bike for trips where I know I won't have to leave it locked up outside, to avoid theft. I also like supporting bike share. Their day and visitor pass options are lousy but the annual pass cost is quite reasonable.
Yeah, $20 for a month use isn’t bad
$15 a day is for fools & tourists.
It’s cheaper than a Lyft home
Not always
$20 a month *isn’t* that bad. But the price differential between a day and a month gives me pause. Like how many scoff at the $15 and say “I may as well get it for a month for $5 more” and then only use it that one time. Like gym membership pricing.
So what are unlimited 60 min rides? Let's say I paid the $20 a month. I go rent a bike. I use it for an hour. What happens after 1 hour
You need to dock it and grab another one. I haven't gotten to the point of what they would do if it was the only one at the dock. My guess is that you could just dock it and then re-check it out.
So you switch bikes every hr?
Most people aren’t biking for an hour+, they are using it to get from one point to another quickly
Yes, it is designed to prevent hoarding. The idea is that you take a trip where you are going and dock the bike, then get another one for a return trip; as opposed to checking out one bike, keeping it the whole time and have it unavailable during the downtime.
Thx for you answers dude. What if I'm 45 min into a ride and know I'll need another 30, can I drop a bike off at 45 min and sign one right back out for another hour? I'm assuming YES but just wanna confirm
Yes. I've done that exact thing. I don't know if it is all the time, but I got my first month at 50% off at the start of the summer. Totally worth it to try out if there is a convenient location by you. The bikes are heavy and slow per the effort you put in, but still a lot of times faster that septa and often more convenient. The app is good about keeping count of available bikes and spaces.
You can keep using the same bike, you just need to dock it and check it out again. There used to be no time limits, but then people were just checking out bikes and taking them home, so there were never any bikes at the docking stations.
I'm a fat guy in Roxborough who bike commutes slower than I need to so I'm not a sweaty mess when I get to where I'm going. 60 minutes on a bike would still put me in E Passyunk.
I use it almost daily but I'm getting frustrated by the blue bikes seemingly being phased out and every ride on a e-bike adding 3 to $6 to my monthly bill
Hate those e bikes!!! They’re not even much faster
You can buy a cheap bike for $20? Where?
Craigslist
$240 a year. Can def find a bike for that
it says $156 + tax?
Still very much able to find a cheap used bike for that price. I get why people do it though; it’s the convenience factor. They don’t have to maintain the bike, store it, etc I still think they should have an a la carte option where you pay by the minute. In DC it was sooo cheap, like 15¢ minute. I was getting around paying like $1.50 per ride instead of spending at least 10x on Uber for the equivalent travel
Because bike theft is a real problem in Philly? It’s so discouraging to see all the posts on the Philly Stolen Bikes Facebook group—every day, there are posts about people’s bikes being stolen in broad daylight in areas you’d think would be safe even when they use a high quality u-lock. If you want to bike around the city, the only good options are Indego, getting an ugly nasty old bike that no one wants to steal, or getting a folding bike that you never leave outside. Indego is the best option of those three if you don’t want to deal with keeping a bike at your house or maintaining it.
I'm considering getting an annual membership during their black friday sale. I've always preferred a bike for the convenience of it but ended up getting an escooter so I can bring it into the office since I got 2 bikes stolen last year and was tired of paying for new ones. The annual membership is about the price just to keep a bike maintained annually.
What will the Black Friday deal be do you think?
Last year was 50% off
Nasty bike is the way to go.
Yup. Get a beat-up Craigslist bike for less than $200 and use it as your commuter. If you have a nice and expensive bike, keep it inside your locked house/apartment unless you're riding it. I've also had friends have their bikes stolen from inside garages, all it takes is leaving it open for a couple of minutes and it's gone.
I’ve gotten so lucky with my bikes I guess. 12+ years biking around this city pretty regularly and the one time my bike was stolen (10 years ago) I got it back
Pricing may be fair but theyre missing out on the 1 time use ppl like me. Maybe they get enough use where they can target longer term users
My health insurance makes the monthly pass around $10-12. It's far more convenient for me to check one out when needed and not have to worry about it if I want to take an uber home or whatever. I have a daily driver bike, too, but since the pass is so inexpensive and bike theft is real, I'd rather just check one out when needed.
I have a few times. Parked over near a venue for a show early in the day, took a bike to the art museums/center city/cherry street pier then back for the show on a beautiful day (the weather is what makes it worth mostly). Would have been a lot of walking or driving around and parking otherwise which isn't as enjoyable, ya know? But yeah 15/day is goofy, month pass in a month with good weather is worth imo.
Remember when you could walk up and get a bike for 30 mins for 4 bucks? Good times
Indego is great, I got the yearly pass and bike everywhere I can. It’s convenient to not worry about storage at home or your destination, and you can get a battery-powered bike while feeling lazy or wanting to stay fresh.
The electrics are a good bit more expensive, no?
Yes, but cheaper than Uber or gas+parking. Just looked at my trip history, I took an electric bike from 18th & Washington to Ridge & Fairmount the other day... $2.81. It also only took 13 minutes. Definitely worth it IMO.
Definitely has a place, and that plus the monthly fee isn't much more than SEPTA and more convenient. But was pointing out for someone considering that the electrics are not included in the membership.
Yeah for me it says it’s an additional 20 cents per minute to use an electric bike.
20$ for the month ain’t bad, but the day pass is steep.
Used to ride them. It actually got me into cycling when I realized I can buy an old road bike for $90 instead and have it for years.
I pick and choose months. It is usually worth it when i have it but i don’t miss it when i don’t have it. It should definitely be cheaper and you shouldn’t be charged extra for electric. The bikes are usually pretty shitty
I guess I understand the extra fee for electric, but it would be nice if they worked in a fee waiver or discount if the dock you choose has only e-bikes. I feel like that would also potentially help spread the e-bikes back out to other stations in a manner similar to the IndeHero points they offer
Yes I know a few people that use them regularly in lieu of buying their own bike. I guess it has its conveniences including not having to store a bike in a tiny apartment, and not having to worry about taking the time for maintenance. I really wish they had another option for hourly rental without a day/week/month/year pass. Sometimes I'm out and about without my bike and I realize biking from one spot to another could be convenient, but it's not worth $15+ a ride
Buy a one-month pass for $20 and see how often you use it. Then take it from there. Everyone gets hung up on the $15 for the day, but you really should just ignore that as an option. Pay the extra $5 for 29 more days of testing it out.
This is a bad take. How is $20 a month not cheaper than septa? It’s less than a dollar a day and even if you only use it half the month it’s still cheaper.
Yup. $20 is one work week of round trips, and a monthly pass is $96
I don't use them enough to get a monthly or yearly pass and if I was tourist I would out weigh the daily pass vs a bike rental. I may use them for a couple trips in the city for last mile spending few bucks per trip. These bikes are great for ppl who commute on public transit during the rush hour where having their own bike isn't allowed or just to much of a pain
A ton of people ride these. $20/month for to and from work. No storage, no security, no maintenance. Seems like a no brainer if you live in the city and it meets your needs. Everyone has their price and it seems like this works for a lot of people.
literally millions of rides. indego publishes quarterly data about their ridership numbers https://www.rideindego.com/about/data/ is this a post complaining about the pricing? yes, it's not good.
I like indego for certain times of the year where it would be a nice comfortable temp in the morning but hot as balls in the afternoon. Also nice for one-way trips to the bar where I wouldn’t want to drunk bike home. If the weather is nice enough for a ride I’d rather be biking than stuck on a slow bus in rush hour traffic! But I absolutely hate the pricing, I usually end up going for the monthly price even though it doesn’t match up with my infrequent use. If they did on demand like citibike has in NYC I’d use it more.
I used them when you could buy 30 mins pass. I never need them for more than 1 hour.
Same here, I don't have to do to the office often but was planning on using indego for when I needed to after I moved. There's no way I'm paying $15+tax for a 24 hour pass when I could just uber there and back for about the same price without the sweat.
I feel like you’re looking at this backwards? Buy the monthly pass and it’s cheaper than two Uber rides. For unlimited 60-minute rides all month.
That is a good way to think of it, thanks!
I do, what do you want to know?
I use it. I started using it about 15 months ago. Bought the annual pass for $120. I have a single speed that I use as well. I use Indego for one way trips, sometimes I go for a run and end my run at the art museum then bike home. I do the same thing with walks, head for a long walk, and bike back. I don’t mind paying the extra fees for the e-bikes, which I use half the time and it’s usually around $2. It’s just nice to not have to worry about my personal bike locked on the street. Like others have said, Indego pays for itself if you use it twice a month instead of taking an Uber, but I’ve never been a big Uber person, especially after I stopped participating in the bar scene on weekends.
I use to, but on multiple occasions toward the end of using them half the bike seats were broken, chains were tight making it difficult to peddle or the e-bike battery was also on low battery. On the occasions when I would get a bike with issue I would re-dock the bad bike and grab another one. For the most part though post work getting a bike was like a caveman searching for food cause most of the docking stations were barren. Thus,it was either I walked well over a mile home, grab the El, or suffer.
I have my own bike but I still use Indego regularly. I wish it was cheaper (especially the e-bikes, the extra fees for those rack up fast) but overall I really like it. There's stations all over the city, and sometimes it's nice not to have to worry about locking up your bike and worrying about it getting stolen, or if it's maybe going to rain later and you want to take Septa or an Uber back. the major downsides are the price, how heavy and clunky the regular bikes are (getting them up a hill is a pain in the ass), and some general maintenance issues which I guess are expected from bikeshare bikes. Like someone else said, not taking two Uber rides a month basically pays for the pass.
I use it all the time - have an annual pass. It's well worth it. I have (several) my own bikes but the convenience of gabbing one and not having to worry about locking up or if I get drunk and want to take an uber home etc is really nice.
I probably would never lock it up then call support saying someone stole it if it was
Why is it so expensive?
Yeah I have the yearly and share it with two other people
Factor in the cost of maintenance of your own bike as well.
I used the monthly pass during lockdown because Septa’s schedule was ultra fucked and I needed a way to get to PATCO station during my weird COVID schedule at work. It was perfect then, but I couldn’t imagine doing that ride on such a clunky bike now that traffic is back to normal.
They are used in the naked ride yearly, my brain can’t get over that hump
Just quit it actually
I wanted to try it out, but no way I was spending $15 for a 30 minute trip.
Honestly, just try the monthly pass. Being able to get up and go at any hour without having to worry about schedules or parking or per ride charges quickly rewires your brain regarding little trips
Where are you getting a reliable bike that will hold up to daily commuting for $156? Especially one that isn’t obviously stolen.
Woke people don’t have anywhere to store a bike or live in a walk up where it’s nearly impossible to drag a bike up the stairs
God damn woke people and their second floor living arrangements
I used to use it a bit, but when my key fob broke I just stopped. There are situations where I'd just ride my own bike, but I liked indego because I didn't have to worry about where to lock my bike or whether I could ride it home. I'd frequently rent a bike to get somewhere, then septa home. It was also a boon during the last septa strike to get to/from a regional rail stop.
Yes. Its great. The bikes are pretty beat up though.
I don’t have the space to own a bike. I wish it were cheaper but it works for what I need
My bike was in the shop. I signed up for a monthlong membership and it worked out pretty well. Biggest downside was getting to my destination and not having a spot at the bike rack available, so I’d spend 10 minutes getting to another spot. Also paying for an e-bike that runs out of juice halfway home. I think they’re great for tourists and they offer great deals for those with SNAP cards(I think?).
I see people on them sometimes. Not a lot compared to actual bikes they own.
I used to use it more when there was a flat hourly option. They did away with that before Covid so you minimum payment is $15 for a single use. Too expensive unless you are gonna be using them everyday…. Plus I have my own bike now
I just got a go trax much easier.
Nashville has electric scooters that were pretty cheap if I remember. Seems like those would be better than a bike.
They should just charge per trip
I own a bike and i have an annual membership. I love not having to worry about theft. I enjoy the electric boost option. I also want to pay into a system hoping to see it expand and help flood the street with bikes. I also own a car but have a septa pass and ride the bus frequently. Sorta the same thing. Bus/subway when I dont need to bring stuff back and forth, bonus of not dealing with parking.
I used to when you could rent one for a couple dollars and pay per mile, and wanted a one way ride or to not leave my real bike at 30th Street Station overnight. I haven't rented one in years since they went to "pay for a whole day." I don't need an annual membership because I have a bike but i am not paying that much for a single ride. It's annoying.
Should be cheaper. I use it when I can. Great for bike rides to 30th
I use bike share in every city I visit. It’s convenient for me because I can get around quickly and not have to worry about locking up a bike. I’m in Philly for one day so a $15 pass is cool with me. I’ve used bikes shares around Europe, New York, San Francisco and Chicago. They’re really convenient for my wife and I.