Mayor Lori E. Lightfoot, the Chicago Department of Transportation (CDOT) and Lyft announced today the launch of the Divvy Community Tour, a summer series of events on the city’s South Side. The Divvy Community Tour will provide an opportunity for residents to engage with the Divvy team and inform the next phase of Divvy’s expansion across the city. The City Council approved plans to expand the Divvy bike system to all 50 wards and will add another 10,500 electric-assist bikes (e-bikes) and 175 stations by 2021.

“Chicago is working to expand transportation resources citywide, which is why we’re excited about expanding Divvy with new options for residents who live and work on Chicago’s South Side,” Mayor Lightfoot said. “This community tour will allow us to hear from residents on how to build the best network for Divvy bikes, making it a more accessible transportation option across all neighborhoods.”

Starting later this month, event attendees will also have the first chance to demo the new Divvy e-bikes, which provide an electronic motorized boost to complement traditional pedaling and can be docked at a Divvy station or any other legal bike parking location. There will also be family-friendly events, including live music, complimentary food and soft drinks and activities for kids. 

“CDOT is pleased to kick off the community engagement process for Divvy’s expansion,” said CDOT Managing Deputy Commissioner Kevin O’Malley. “The feedback from the community will be instrumental in siting new stations and allow us to hear from residents about what types of bikeways and safety improvements are needed in their neighborhood.”

At each event, Divvy outreach team members and CDOT staff will engage with community members to discuss where Divvy stations and bike racks are needed, and gather feedback on how biking can support the community. Residents across the city are also welcome to visit Divvy's suggest-a-station page to share ideas for new Divvy locations. Users can click on "Suggest station" and leave comments. They can also boost other people's suggested locations with a "like" feature. 

Under the expansion plan, Lyft is making a $50 million investment in new bikes, stations and hardware and is also providing the city with an additional $77 million in direct revenue for transportation improvements over a nine-year period.

“Our goal is to engage with Chicago residents at the neighborhood level to learn how we can best support the community’s transportation needs through the Divvy expansion process,” said Lyft’s Head of Micromobility Caroline Samponaro. “The Divvy Community Tour is a fun way to get people together to hear from residents and ensure that we are designing the most equitable bikeshare system possible.”

Divvy Community Tour Event Schedule

Divvy reaches about two-thirds of the city's population and covers approximately 50 percent of the city's geography. Once the Divvy system is fully expanded in 2021, it will have approximately 16,500 bikes and 800 stations in the city. The growth of the system will create more than 200 additional jobs with Divvy in Chicago.