Biking in Chicago will soon be easier.
Beginning Wednesday, Chicagoans for the first time ever will have access to electric bikes in the Divvy bikeshare program.
Divvy, which is operated by Lyft, is rolling out hundreds of e-bikes tomorrow and will eventually expand to providing 10,500 e-bikes in the program. The e-bikes are designed to make biking easier for people of all abilities and for all distances. An electric motor in the e-bikes gives riders a pedal assist that requires less leg power.
Like Divvy’s traditional bikes, the e-bikes can be unlocked by using a scannable QR code in both the Divvy and Lyft apps, or by using a member key. But the e-bikes will have their own designated Divvy docking stations designed to charge them. The e-bikes will also be equipped with built-in cable locks, allowing them to be parked at public bike racks, and giving riders more flexibility when choosing where to end their trip.
Divvy and the Chicago Department of Transportation revealed the launch of e-bikes this week as part of an announcement of a $50 million investment Lyft is making to expand its bikeshare program in Chicago.
The expansion will include new bikes, stations and hardware, and aims to bring Divvy to every neighborhood of the city. When the expansion is complete, the program will include 16,500 bikes and 800 stations, and the growth of the system is estimated to create over 200 additional jobs with Divvy in Chicago.
Lyft said it also plans to provide an additional $77 million in direct revenue to the city of Chicago for transportation improvements over a nine-year period.
"I'm excited about the addition of e-bikes to the Divvy system. This will be a game-changer for bikeshare in Chicago, enabling residents to go further [and] faster with more flexibility,” said CDOT Commissioner Gia Biagi in a statement. "E-bikes offer an entry into biking that will open up new opportunities in a healthy and fun way, putting more of Chicago within reach.”
The e-bikes will be priced the same as classic pedal bikes ($3 per ride for any single 30-minute trip) across two-thirds of the Divvy service area, where there is greater distance between stations. In the remaining areas of the service area, where the Divvy station network is already robust, e-bikes will have a per minute fee associated with usage. The cost of the annual membership remains the same at $99 per year.
To allow all Divvy members to try an e-bike, CDOT will be temporarily offering a $5 credit that can be used for up to 30 minutes of free e-bike riding or other usage fees. New Divvy members that sign up before year-end will also receive the same credit.
Divvy is the latest city bikeshare system that Lyft has partnered with to offer e-bikes nationwide. It has also brought e-bikes to Columbus, Minneapolis, San Francisco, San Jose, New York and Washington, D.C.
In addition to the Divvy expansion, city officials are also gearing up to launch a second scooter pilot in Chicago. The pilot will have four times as many scooters as last year’s program and be available in most areas of the city. Currently, CDOT is choosing which scooter vendors can participate, but anticipates the pilot launching in August.
