Divvy Rolls Out New Membership Options

Monthly Billing Option Will Now Be Available; Annual Membership Price will be $9.95 per month (or $99 up front) for unlimited access

CHICAGO - On the heels of this summer’s successful expansion of Chicago’s Divvy bike share program from 3,000 to 4,750 bikes, the Chicago Department of Transportation (CDOT) and Divvy today announced new membership rates and payment options scheduled to take effect on February 1, 2016.

Beginning in February, Divvy will offer a new annual membership option with monthly installments to make bike share more accessible than ever before at $9.95 per month, with a 12-month commitment.  For those who want to pay up front, the new membership price will be $99 per year. Annual memberships will be sold at the current rate through the end of January ($75).  Memberships can be purchased online at www.divvybikes.com for individuals or as gift certificates.

“By offering the option of a monthly payment, we can make the Divvy program available to more people,” said CDOT Commissioner Rebekah Scheinfeld.  “We are working towards expanding the scope of the program to reach even more city neighborhoods and we want to make sure Chicagoans can continue to access the Divvy network.”

In recognition of the City of Chicago’s commitment to keeping the bike share program affordable, Divvy worked with its parent company Motivate to provide one of the first monthly installment billing programs for bike share membership in any big city in the U.S.

“This rate adjustment allows us to continue improving service for Divvy riders,” said Elliot Greenberger, General Manager of Motivate, the operator of Divvy bike share. “We can continue to offer Chicago residents and visitors the same highly-rated service they’ve come to expect across an expanded and increasingly utilized system.”

Divvy had a 30% increase in trips between 2014 and 2015 (3,178,000 trips in 2015, compared to 2,455,000 in 2014). This was thanks in large part to a doubling of the geographic area served by Divvy, North America’s largest bikeshare system based on the geography served.

Recent research by the National Association of City Transportation officials suggests that adding monthly membership options to bike share pricing plans may increase bike share enrollment, especially among budget conscious riders.

Earlier in 2015, the Divvy for Everyone (D4E) program successfully launched and expanded Divvy membership by more than 1,000 bike riders amongst low income Chicagoans. D4E allows people earning less than 300 percent of the federal poverty level to register at one of five LISC centers across the city for only $5 for the first year. Details are available at: https://www.divvybikes.com/D4E.