The Southeastern Pennsylvania Transportation Authority (SEPTA) launched a new bike parking pilot program—Velomodo—a new secure bike parking solution at Fox Chase Regional Rail Station.

The pilot, launched in partnership with SEPTA’s bus-mounted bike rack provider, Sportworks, is designed to offer riders a secure, weather-protected storage for bicycles and scooters.

“Providing secure and reliable parking for bicycles and other personal vehicles is key to making transit more accessible,” said SEPTA General Manager Scott Sauer. “This pilot will help us better understand rider demand while supporting more sustainable and flexible ways to get to and from our stations.”

In a survey with riders, SEPTA reports that 53% of respondents indicated having secure bicycle and scooter parking would increase their travel frequency on the system. The Velomodo bike pods are designed to remove one of the biggest barriers to using transit with a bike—securing it at the station. Each unit offers individual locking compartments and is managed through a vendor-operated booking and payment platform. During the initial phase of the pilot’s launch, bicycle parking will be offered free of charge.

The agency says that Fox Chase Station was selected due to its role as a regional rail terminus and its direct connection to the Fox Chase Lorimer Trail, making it a strategic location for multimodal access and a natural test case for demand.

SEPTA says the pilot is designed to:

• Improve the rider experience through increased station amenities.
• Encourage multimodal trips and increase transit ridership.
• Support local and regional active transportation goals.
• Provide an opportunity to evaluate infrastructure needs.

This pilot implements a recommendation from SEPTA’s Micromobility Playbook, which identified secure bicycle parking as a priority strategy to strengthen first-and last-mile connections across the system.

SEPTA joins agencies like the Washington Metropolitan Area Transportation Authority (WMATA) in finding creative bike parking solutions. WMATA’s bike parking solution began bike and ride pilots in 2023, eventually expanding with the locker concept to more stations in 2025.