Subscriber Benefit
As a subscriber you can listen to articles at work, in the car, or while you work out. Subscribe NowA month into operation, the controversial BlueIndy electric-car-sharing service is touting that it has about 500 members in Indianapolis who have taken 1,500 rides.
But the service, which launched Sept. 2 in Indianapolis and is modeled after parent company Bollore Group’s similar service in Paris, is far from reaching profitability.
Bollore Group Chairman Vincent Bollore predicted last May that it would need 15,000 to 20,000 regular users in Indianapolis to break even. It expected to reach that point in three to four years.
BlueIndy General Manager Scott Prince said in a written statement that early enthusiasm for the program was encouraging. He did not immediately respond to IBJ's request for more detail on the first-month numbers.
“The enthusiasm for our new service has been fantastic, and many people have already commented on how BlueIndy helps them save money and time and enhances their mobility in the city,” Prince said in a written statement.
The program has been at the center of a debate between the City-County Council and Indianapolis Mayor Greg Ballard. Several councilors have protested the service—and even threatened to tow the electric cars stationed in spots downtown—because it did not go through a competitive bidding process.
Please enable JavaScript to view this content.