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Chicago bike sharing will be known as Divvy, be Chicago flag blue

Chicago Tribune.

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Permalink Reply by WillG on April 25, 2013 at 9:43am

I think that the 30 minute time limit is a little too short, how about 45 minutes or an hour? How did we arrive at 30 minutes? One cannot get to very many parts of the city from the Loop in less than 30 minutes, especially during high traffic times.

Permalink Reply by Adam Herstein on April 25, 2013 at 9:43am

I understood the meaning at bit more after reading the article. It's supposed to convey sharing. I suppose the name doesn't really matter so much. Most of the other bike share programs in other cities have either silly or corporate-sponsored names anyway.

John Greenfield said:

It means "to divide or share." You've got a good vocabulary Adam, so I'm guessing if this confused you it will stump a lot of Chicagoans.

Permalink Reply by Justin B Newman on April 25, 2013 at 10:02am

Bike Share is really not intended to get you all the way across the city. For that, you can use transit, or buy a bike. That said, worst case, you ought to be able to get 3-4 miles within 30 minutes. Also note that you can (generally) turn in a bike and check it right back out again at a mid-point station. Annoying, but I've done it in other cities when I wanted to pick up an extra half-hour.

Will G - 10mi said:

I think that the 30 minute time limit is a little too short, how about 45 minutes or an hour? How did we arrive at 30 minutes? One cannot get to very many parts of the city from the Loop in less than 30 minutes, especially during high traffic times.

Permalink Reply by Adam Herstein on April 25, 2013 at 10:02am

So, the bike share will initially only be rolling out in the Loop and River North? I was under the impression that the initial rollout would be up to Montrose.

Permalink Reply by Duppie on April 25, 2013 at 10:03am

I don't think it is meant to be used for rides from downtown to let's say Edgewater.

But if you really want to, you could ride it for 25 minutes. Park it in a bike sharing station, and immediately take it out and continue your trip.

Will G - 10mi said:

I think that the 30 minute time limit is a little too short, how about 45 minutes or an hour? How did we arrive at 30 minutes? One cannot get to very many parts of the city from the Loop in less than 30 minutes, especially during high traffic times.

Permalink Reply by Andrew on April 25, 2013 at 10:21am
Permalink Reply by Steven Vance on April 25, 2013 at 10:43am

I think the membership is tied to a key fob. Whomever is in possession of the key fob can check out a bike. 

Duppie 13.5185km said:

Is it known yet, whether the membership is tied to a person? Mrs. Duppie and I share credit cards. Could we both use it on one membership (not simultaneously of course)?

Permalink Reply by Steven Vance on April 25, 2013 at 10:45am

All cities in the United States, that I know about, have a 30 minute time limit. Only NYC deviates, giving 45 minutes. The extra time is considered needed to get from Manhattan to Brooklyn (and vice versa) because of the long bridges and uphill portions. 

Will G - 10mi said:

I think that the 30 minute time limit is a little too short, how about 45 minutes or an hour? How did we arrive at 30 minutes? One cannot get to very many parts of the city from the Loop in less than 30 minutes, especially during high traffic times.

Permalink Reply by Active Transportation Alliance on April 25, 2013 at 11:09am

We're excited about this news and just posted a blog from our executive director, Ron Burke.

We're asking people how they will Divvy...I personally can't wait to use it for meetings, lunch, errands, etc. while I'm at work. It's hard to wear a suit and bike on my Long Haul Trucker. It's doable but a Divvy bike would be much sweeter.

Here's a copy/paste of the blog:

Submitted by Rburke on Thu, 04/25/2013 - 9:30am

How will you use “Divvy,” Chicago’s new bike-sharing system?

We learned today that “Divvy” is the brand name for Chicago’s new bike-sharing program. I am warming up to the name after seeing how cool it looks on the Chicago Blue bikes, with sharrow arrows representing the “Vs” in Divvy (see photo). 


This is a big deal for Chicago that will change how people get around, and could easily double cycling in Chicago in about a year.

It’s perfect for trips under a few miles that are too short to wait for a bus and a bit too far to walk. Many people will be thrilled to know that it will be much cheaper than a taxi.


Tens of thousands of Chicagoans will be able to use it to get from transit stations to their jobs, to get to their next meeting, grab lunch and run errands. In other cities with bike sharing, the lion’s share of users are new cyclists! That’s great news for growing cycling in Chicago.


Capital Bikeshare in Washington DC has grown to 24,000 annual members with nearly 11,000 trips per day and 1,800 bikes. I used that system to get to the nation’s capitol to lobby for bike and pedestrian funding, and to check out some of the innovative new bike lanes in DC. It was easy to use, with plenty of bike docking stations to choose from and kiosks that show you where stations are located. The bikes are sturdy with chain guards, fenders, lights and a bell. No mess, no fuss, and you don’t have to worry about locking the bikes. Just return them to any docking station – sort of like Red Box for bikes.


Divvy will be very similar to DC’s system, but with more bikes – 3,000 by the end of the summer and another 1,000 next year. We’ll let you know as soon as Divvy memberships are available – sometime next month most likely, and Divvy bikes should be in service during Bike to Work Week (June 10 – 16).


So how will you use Divvy? I’ll “Divvy” from the Ogilvie train station to the Active Trans office in River North. I’ll Divvy from our office to the Mayor’s Bicycle Advisory Committee meetings at city hall!

Check out a Chicago Tribune article on Divvy for more information.

Permalink Reply by Anne Alt on April 25, 2013 at 11:09am

My understanding is that the rollout will happen in phases, starting with locations in/near the Loop.

Adam Herstein (5.5 mi) said:

So, the bike share will initially only be rolling out in the Loop and River North? I was under the impression that the initial rollout would be up to Montrose.

Permalink Reply by Crazy David 84 Furlongs on April 25, 2013 at 11:21am

I looked at it, and I think I will pass.   I guess it would work for some people, but the idea that you are supposed to take it from one sharing station to the other doesn't really work for me.   I would like to have it so I could take it, for example, from the sharing station to the store, make my purchases and take it back to the sharing station.  With all the weight that I am already going to be lugging on this, a lock for short term use and a key would not seem to be that much more to add.

But they have tried this already in a number of cities, and I guess the demand is sufficient to support the model.   That being said, it does tend to "reinforce" the rather wrong notion that a bicycle is a big and heavy thing that really should only be ridden for a mile or two.  

BTW, what happens if the station to where you are riding the bicycle is full.  For example, they put a station down in Grant Park near the music venue.  Lots of people take rental bikes from the CTA Stations and the Metra stations and all converge on the Grant Park station.  (or Taste (if it continues) or anyone of the many events in Grant Park).   Are you stuck renting the bicycle for an extended period?   

Permalink Reply by Duppie on April 25, 2013 at 11:27am

From the Divvy Bikes website:

"There are a few solutions to this issue. First, users can check real-time bike and dock availability online or on their smartphones at any time. Second, if a user arrives at a full station, the kiosk will direct them to a nearby station with available docks. Divvy users can request a 15-minute time credit to travel to the nearest station by pressing the Station Full? button on the kiosk. Divvy stations are sited so the distance between them isn't great. Finally, users will be able to call the Divvy customer service line 24 hours a day for assistance.

Divvy’s employees will be regularly circulating throughout the system to redistribute bikes and make sure they don't all pile up in one place. In addition, as we learn how Chicagoans use bike share, we’ll be able to fine-tune station sizes and our redistribution schedules."



David crZven 10.6 said:

BTW, what happens if the station to where you are riding the bicycle is full.  For example, they put a station down in Grant Park near the music venue.  Lots of people take rental bikes from the CTA Stations and the Metra stations and all converge on the Grant Park station.  (or Taste (if it continues) or anyone of the many events in Grant Park).   Are you stuck renting the bicycle for an extended period?   

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