Click for downloadable Divvy Expansion Map

Mayor Rahm Emanuel announced today that Divvy has started its first major expansion into more Chicago neighborhoods. By June, Chicago’s bike share system will reach as far north as Touhy Avenue, as far south as 75th Street and as far west as Pulaski Road. After the expansion, Divvy will offer a total of 476 stations and 4,760 bikes across 86.7 square miles, giving Chicago the most bike share stations and largest service area in North America.

“Bike sharing like Divvy works best when more neighborhoods are served, and in the next few months Chicago will have the largest service area in North America,” said Mayor Emanuel. “We are encouraged by Divvy’s popularity, and this expansion will ensure more residents in more neighborhoods can access this system.”

Divvy’s expansion, from the previous number of 300 stations and 3,000 bikes, roughly doubles its service area in Chicago, from 44.1 square miles to 86.7 square miles, reaching 33 out of the city’s 50 Aldermanic wards, up from 19 before the expansion.

Divvy, which features bikes in the signature blue of its system sponsor Blue Cross Blue Shield of Illinois (BCBSIL), started adding new stations further south last week. Once stations in those neighborhoods are installed, the expansion will proceed to neighborhoods on the west side, and then finally neighborhoods on the north side. Stations will also be added to the existing service areas to provide improved accessibility for Divvy’s existing and new customers.

“This is a major step forward for Divvy, the City’s newest transit service, as we continue to increase access in neighborhoods across Chicago,” CDOT Commissioner Rebekah Scheinfeld said. “CDOT is committed to building on the great momentum that we achieved in Divvy’s first two years and we hope to continue extending Divvy’s reach to even more neighborhoods.”

The planning process for the expansion involved significant community engagement, including the review of hundreds of suggestions from Chicagoans on where the new stations should be located.

"Slow Roll Chicago supports the expansion of Divvy in Chicago on the South Side and West Side,” said Slow Roll Co-founder Oboi Reed. “We are especially happy to see Divvy expand to more communities of color and low- to moderate-income neighborhoods. We believe intensely in the transformative power of bicycles as a form of transportation. And, we consider Divvy a public resource that all Chicagoans should have equitable access to. We appreciate Divvy's progress in this area and we look forward to helping grow the system even more in underserved communities across the City of Chicago."

“We are thrilled at the expansion of Divvy into the West Humboldt Park neighborhood,” said Tom Otto, Program Manager for the West Humboldt Park Development Council. “It greatly helps the community to become both more healthy and more mobile by providing access to recreational, educational and cultural assets. Divvy expansion will also support the West Chicago Avenue Rebuild Project to revitalize the Chicago Avenue commercial corridor.”

“Loyola, and our bike loving students, are excited for Divvy's expansion to our Lake Shore Campus,” said Aaron Durnbaugh, Director of Sustainability for Loyola University Chicago.

New Divvy stations are added to the bike sharing service’s website once they are up and running: https://www.divvybikes.com/stations

To celebrate the new neighborhoods that bike share will now serve, Divvy is launching a “Design-a-Divvy” contest for high school students to create wheel fender and basket art that represents their community. Between now and late May, students at Chicago Public Schools will be able to enter their own designs to be featured on Divvy bikes. In June, Divvy will select 10 winners who will also receive a Target gift card. Students can submit entries at: http://www.divvybikes.com/designadivvy.

Blue Cross and Blue Shield of Illinois signed on as the System Sponsor for Divvy last year. Each Divvy bike sports their logo and tagline “Enjoy Your Ride.” BCBSIL’s community investment not only supports the Divvy system, but has also increased the number of bike lanes and bike facilities. It has also supported the Bike Ambassadors program, which educates more than 80,000 Chicagoans annually about bike safety and works with CPD at enforcement events to make the City safer for pedestrians, bicyclists and motorists.

About Divvy

Divvy is Chicago’s newest transit system, giving Chicago residents and visitors a bike on-demand at hundreds of stations across the city. Intended to provide an additional transportation option for getting around, Divvy is a convenient, fast, fun and affordable. For more information and a map of station locations, visit DivvyBikes.com. Blue Cross and Blue Shield of Illinois is the exclusive System Sponsor of Divvy.