Philly Bike Share launch date, membership fees announced

UPDATE: This post now includes new information on the status of the East Passyunk Avenue bike share location.

We’ve been following the updates of Indego, the new bike share program for the city, for some time now.

We know what South Philly bike share locations to expect to see in the first phase of the program’s launch and now we have some more information about the April launch date and the membership fees for the bike share.

When looking at the bike share locations finalized on the map, they’re all the same as the last map of preliminary plans for the first phase of the program, except for one pretty important station. What happened to the East Passyunk Avenue bike share station?

According to Andrew Stober, Chief of Staff of the Mayor’s Office of Transportation and Utilities, the location being planned for the Acme at 1400 E. Passyunk Ave. is no longer a possibility. The Acme store and regional office were for the bike share station and understood the benefit of this for both their business and the community, but things got more complicated once the proposition reached Acme’s corporate lawyers in Idaho, Stober said.

As of now, there will be no bike share station on East Passyunk Avenue, though according to Stober, they are actively searching for a new location for a bike share station in this area.

The program will officially launch less than a month from now, on April 23.

While it’s certainly possible to pay per ride, there are also membership options for those planning to use Indego more regularly. The Indego 30 will allow you to take unlimited one-hour trips, with any rides over an hour being charged $4 per additional hour. This membership, which costs $15 a month, would be perfect for those planning to use Indego to commute to work daily.

The second type of membership, called Indego Flex, requires a $10 annual membership. Flex costs $4 per hour that you use the bike.

If you’re interested in trying Indego, but don’t want the commitment of a monthly or yearly membership, you can use your credit card at any of the bike share station kiosks and pay $4 per half an hour you use the bike. This will likely be the preferred method of tourists visiting the city.

Want to try Indego, but don’t want to use a credit card to register? The bike share program is also making it possible to pay a monthly fee in cash at certain retail locations, including 7-Eleven and Family Dollar.

If you’re looking to use this program as soon as it launches, you should first register for the program so you can receive your Indego key in the mail as soon as possible. You can register for a membership on Indego’s website.

Will you be signing up for Indego?