CHICAGO — The Chicago Department of Transportation (CDOT) and its Divvy bikeshare system joined City Colleges of Chicago (CCC) today to celebrate the installation of a new Divvy station at Olive-Harvey College – and the announcement of a new City Colleges initiative that covers the cost of an annual Divvy membership for all students. The event was held as Divvy is coming off a record-breaking year with more than 5.5 million rides logged in 2021, a more than 60 percent increase. 

The new station at Olive-Harvey College at 10001 S. Woodlawn Avenue is a part of Divvy’s ongoing Citywide expansion and system upgrade that launched in 2020. The expansion is made possible by a $50 million capital investment by Divvy’s operator and sponsor, Lyft.  Providing Divvy service to Olive-Harvey College will connect students, faculty, and staff to transit and give them an opportunity to try out almost 30 miles of new bikeways installed in the Far South Side in 2020 and 2021. 

“Divvy is coming off its best year ever and making steady progress toward the goal of full citywide coverage,” said CDOT Commissioner Gia Biagi. “We are excited to be partnering with City Colleges to encourage students to join Divvy and use it as a go-to transportation option for getting to and from school, to connect to other transit modes and for trips around their neighborhoods.” 

Under the new program, City Colleges of Chicago students will be offered a one-year Divvy memberships at no cost. The membership provides unlimited rides of up to 45 minutes for a full year on Classic blue Divvy bikes. Students will only be responsible for paying for overage fees that are accrued, and discounted per-minute e-bike fees outside of Divvy’s fee waiver zone.   

“We are thrilled that CDOT has chosen Olive-Harvey be a Divvy recipient and a Divvy destination. This new station will connect our students and community to the entire bike network,” said Kimberly Hollingsworth, President of Olive-Harvey College. “This also gives our students more transportation options, connects them to transit more easily, and is part of healthy life style.” 

"Divvy smashed its ridership record in 2021 and students played a huge role in that -- they make up over 25% of our riders," said Cara Bader, Senior Policy Manager for Transit, Bikes and Scooters at Lyft. "Free memberships for CCC students, a new station at Olive-Harvey College, and dozens of new miles of bike lanes installed by our partners at CDOT will help power the system to even greater heights this year." 

Divvy is already the largest bikeshare system in North America by geographic area and had a banner year in 2021 with more than 60 percent growth in rides, from 5.5 million rides delivered last year compared to 3.4 million rides in 2020.  

Riders are encouraged to plan their trips ahead using the Divvy app or DivvyBikes.com/map. For more information, go to https://www.divvybikes.com/.  

In related news, Olive-Harvey College, for the first time, is offering Bicycle Maintenance and Repair, a course that will teach students to refurbish and repair bicycles while developing soft skills. The program will offer  a hands-on, comprehensive bicycle curriculum. Class starts April 12, 2022. For more information and to register, click here.  

To take advantage of the Divvy membership offer, CCC Students can opt in to the D4E program by logging into their student portal at my.ccc.edu. 

For more information on Olive-Harvey and all its college offerings, visit www.ccc.edu/olive-harvey. Spring registration is open, visit www.apply.ccc.edu to apply.