The single-ride pass is back. Long live the single-ride pass!
The City of Philadelphia today announced the return of riders being able to purchase a single ride for its bikeshare initiative, Indego.
“We’ve heard from folks for a while that they want an affordable and accessible single-trip option,” said Nate Bowman-Johnston, general manager of Bicycle Transit Systems for Indego. “We’ve been listening and are excited to announce the launch of the Single Ride. Our hope is that this pass unlocks countless opportunities for Philadelphians and visitors alike to explore and navigate the City on an Indego bike.”
The option had gone away in April 2018, when the city announced a new pricing program where the shortest-term pass available was a single day. One of the issues had been a rash of bike thefts, often perpetrated by people who purchased single-ride passes. There has been a clamor for its return ever since, and the news was greeted positively by bike advocates and social media in general.
Others pointed out that single-ride costs are relatively expensive, compared to other transit options in the city and similar services in other cities, a result of the city’s limited subsidy for the program.
The terms, as detailed in the announcement:
- Indego’s Single Ride costs $4.50 for 30 minutes of use on a non-electric (ie, “classic”) bike. The clock starts as soon as you begin and cannot be split into multiple trips.
- E-bikes charge an additional fee of 30¢ per minute (!!).
- After 30 minutes, you will be charged an additional $4.50 for every 30 minutes.
“We believe the Single Ride Pass will give Philadelphians a more practical solution for one-way trips that are paired with transit and rideshare.,” said Waffiyyah Murray, Indego Program Manager, in the city’s Office of Transportation and Infrastructure Systems (OTIS).
Even without the single-ride option, Indego ridership has increased steadily since 2020, growing to more than 1 million rides last year for the first time ever. This past June, Indego celebrated a new record with 5,621 rides in a single day.
The rider profile has changed, too, with e-bike ridership now the majority of rides. Those numbers flipped in 2023, with 580,446 e-bike rides and 504,101 classic ones.
Indego has been growing its network in the city, and this year plans to add 750 new docking points, at 35-40 stations, and add 375 more e-bikes to the system, as well as more than 100 classic bikes. The service aims to expand in Mill Creek/Parkside, Kingsessing, Kensington/Richmond, Wynnefield/Overbrook, and Upper East Falls.
By year’s end, they plan to serve Philadelphia with nearly 3,000 bikes and more than 5,500 docks.
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