Bikeshare program could soon come to Lower Merion

LOWER MERION—A Lower Merion township committee recommended the Board of Commissioners approve an agreement with Bike Transit Services to expand the Philadelphia Indego Bike Share Program into Lower Merion Township. The bikes will be at Pencoyd Landing, One Bala Plaza, and One Belmont Avenue, utilizing $150,000 in Montco2040 grant funds from Montgomery County.

Libby Horwitz, economic development specialist for Lower Merion Township, outlined the program.

“This is the Indigo Bike Share Agreement expansion, which has been going on for a few years now,” Horwitz said. “This is a pretty exciting project. We think this is going to be the first expansion of Indigo Bike Share outside of Philadelphia.”

According to Horwitz, there will be 45 docking points with 22 electric bikes.

“This is going to be connected into the Philadelphia Indigo system,” Horwitz said. “It is contingent upon the three property owner agreements. They will each have their own agreements, and Bike Transit Services will be responsible for maintenance and liability. So this is going to continue connections that we’ve been working on with the Cynwyd Heritage Trail, as well as connecting into Greater Philadelphia.”

According to Horwitz, Lower Merion will provide $150,000, which will be reimbursed with a Montco 2040 grant.

According to information from Lower Merion, the Indego Bike Share program was launched in 2015 and has expanded to include over 2,800 self-service bicycles and 310 stations throughout Philadelphia.

“The system expanded to areas neighboring the City Avenue District, including East Falls, Manayunk, and Wynnefield in 2023. The expansion into Lower Merion would connect into the Philadelphia system and would be the first expansion of the system outside of Philadelphia city limits. Bike Transit Services, the organization that manages operational elements of Indego Bike Share, has entered into a Memorandum of Understanding with the City of Philadelphia for the expansion,” according to the information briefing to the commissioners.

Commissioner Craig Timberlake expressed support for the bike share program.

“This is very exciting. I’m glad to see that we have the beginnings of alternative transit options here in Lower Merion,” Timberlake said.

Nate Bowman-Johnston is general manager of the bike share program.

“Indigo is the city of Philadelphia’s bike share program. I work for a private company called Bicycle Transit Systems. We are contracted by the city to operate the system. We have a long-term contract through 2035. So we’re really, really excited about this,” Bowman-Johnston said.

They also expect the program to expand over time.

“This is sort of the beginning of a larger vision for a regional system. And I think what we’ve seen in the bike share industry is regional systems like what they have in New York, like what they have in Boston, like what they have in Washington, DC, are some of the most successful programs where you can connect people across municipalities. So this is the first step in that direction. We’re really excited. We’re really excited to be partnering with you all and really looking forward to providing an awesome, fun experience to Lower Merion Township residents and visitors,” Bowman-Johnston said.