Two Years of Free Bikeshare in Indianapolis

Indianapolis’ bike share program, IndyRidesFree, sees growth and forms partnerships ahead of planned expansion.

From 2019 to 2023, Pacers Bikeshare recorded a little more than 6,000 trips in those five January’s combined. In January of this year, despite snowy and cold conditions, the program saw more than 6,000 trips in a single month. Since launching IndyRidesFree in 2024, the shared micromobility operator has achieved their busiest year twice. Last year, Pacers Bikeshare hit 200,000 trips. 

Pacers Bikeshare, operated by the Indianapolis Cultural Trail, is approaching two years of IndyRidesFree, its free-for-all bike share program, which offers an annual pass that includes unlimited 30-minute rides. More than 15,000 people have applied for the pass since its launch in May 2024. According to Emily Plunkett, Pacers Bikeshare outreach and education manager, most of that adoption has come through word of mouth, including local influencers who shared about the program organically. The program is also working to make it easier for residents in the greater Marion County area to sign up.

What’s made the biggest impact for IndyRidesFree is the sign-up process. Pacers Bikeshare decided to ditch physical mail and moved to being fully web-based. During the renewal period, Pacers Bikeshare receives user feedback on why they ride, which mode of transportation they are replacing, and whether they would recommend Pacers Bikeshare to a friend.

“We’ve had stories including, ‘Hey, I’ve gotten rid of my car because of having access to reliable transportation like this,’” says Plunkett. “It’s amazing seeing those stories and hearing how the program has impacted people.”

All photos courtesy of Indianapolis Cultural Trail, Inc.

Patricia B. from West Indianapolis is one person whom IndyRidesFree has benefited. 

“I have multiple sclerosis, and shortly after, I was diagnosed with non-epileptic seizures, so I’m no longer able to drive a vehicle, but I’ve been proven successful on a bike,” says Patricia. “So this has been such an asset. It’s given me back a little bit of independence that has been taken.”

Pacers Bikeshare is also working to establish partnerships with universities across Marion County. This past August, the Indianapolis Cultural Trail started a partnership with Butler University to bring Pacers Bikeshare to campus, including three new bike share stations. All active Butler students, staff, and faculty are eligible for the Butler University Pass.

Prantheena is a Human-Computer Interaction graduate student at Indiana University – Indianapolis. For an interactive design class group project, her group decided to analyze the BCycle app that Pacers Bikeshare uses since they were all regular users themselves. 

Her group spoke to other student riders and gathered feedback. The biggest issues students shared were the mismatch of the number of bikes at a station versus what the app says, and that it would be helpful to see each e‑bike’s battery level in the app. Prantheena and her group were able to present their findings to the Pacers Bikeshare team, who shared the feedback with the BCycle team. 

Prantheena continues to use Pacers Bikeshare. “It’s been a great service for us here as international students,” she says.

“It’s a very easy way for us to go around and explore the city because getting around by cabs is a little expensive and not really an ideal scenario,” says Prantheena. “But when you have a bike at your disposal, and you have it for the first 30 minutes free, you can explore the city more at your own pace, rather than having to depend on something else [like] a paid means of transport.”

An expansion is on the horizon for Pacers Bikeshare thanks to $1.5 million in Congestion Mitigation and Air Quality (CMAQ) funding beginning in 2027. The expansion includes the addition of approximately 250 new e-bikes, 18 new stations, and additional balancing vehicles for operations with a goal of increasing station density. Community outreach will continue this year to build relationships with folks where stations already exist, and prepare people for the development of new stations.

“Having more people out on bikes increases knowledge of what it means to interact with the city in ways other than a car,” says Plunkett. “We’re hoping to continue turning that tide of safe, reliable transportation that doesn’t involve a car.”