The Chainlink

Divvy Temporarily Closed for Snow

Just got this email, so don't plan to ride Divvy home today:

 

 

 


Good morning.

Due to the weather, we will temporarily close Divvy at 12:00PM on Thursday, January 2, 2014 to protect the safety of our members and staff. No bikes can be rented after the temporary closure has begun, though any bikes in use at the time can be returned to any Divvy station with an available dock.

If you have any question about whether the system is open or closed, please call to speak with a Member Service Representative at 1-855-55-DIVVY (553-4889). You can also find the latest updates on the Divvy website, Facebook, and Twitter. Members will also be informed of closure and re-opening via email.



In December, we served nearly 45,000 trips, and we're looking forward to serving many more this winter.



Thank you again for your support and understanding.  


 


- The Divvy Team and the Chicago Department of Transportation

 


 

 

 


 


Divvy is Chicago's newest transit system with thousands of bikes available to you 24/7. With hundreds of stations across the city, Divvy is convenient, fast, fun, and affordable.


 


Visit DivvyBikes.com or find us on Facebook, Twitter, Instagram, or Tumblr. 

 

 

Forward this email


This email was sent to x by info@divvybikes.com |  

Divvy | 711 SE Grand | Portland | OR | 97214

 

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Replies to This Discussion

Permalink Reply by h' Zerocats on January 3, 2014 at 12:06pm

Patience. The internet pipes are still clogged with snow.
 
Eli said:

Last post on Divvy Facebook: "We'll provide updates later this morning regarding re-opening of stations." The morning has come and gone; there have been no updates.

Permalink Reply by Tom Dworzanski on January 3, 2014 at 12:09pm

Maybe this has something to do with the new CDOT commissioner, Scheinfeld. From what I read she was a huge proponent of public transit but had no background on cycling.

Anyway, I'm tired of caring about #CorruptBikes. It's time to take my bicycle out of hibernation.

Permalink Reply by Duppie on January 3, 2014 at 12:10pm

Come on, Mr Internet Sassy Pants.

I challenge you to be more original than regurgitating my old and tired jokes ;)

h' 1.0 said:

What did the city say when you called them to ask?

Duppie said:

Tom,

Can you be more specific about the "outrageous amount of money in advance" that the city paid to Alta?

The city owns all the infrastructure. Alta is the operator. How much does the city pay to Alta for that?

Tom Dworzanski said:

I don't think you quite understand how Divvy works. You see, the city paid them an outrageous amount of money in advance to run the system 24/7/365. In addition, Alta (the company) and CDOT split any profits from credit card rides and yearly memberships. Since Divvy is not producing any credit card rides right now and probably almost no yearly memberships (they had a discount recently which would suggest exactly that), they have no incentive to keep the system open but a huge incentive to set a precedent to shut down winter riding.

I think it's nice that you try to flatter them by calling them a "business." But this is no business.

Carrie Hirsch said:

Keep looking to Divvy for further updates. Also imagine if you will trying to run around keeping all 300 stations spread all over the city. They want you're loyalty & money. They want to be back ASAP. What business wouldn't?
Permalink Reply by Rich S on January 3, 2014 at 12:13pm

My post was already getting long at 3 paragraphs. But yeah annual memberships too. If it's not available on the days certain riders are most likely to use it then they're less likely to buy an annual membership and just buy daily passes as needed. 

h' 1.0 said:

I'm not sure how you could have left annual memberships out of this equation.

Permalink Reply by S on January 3, 2014 at 12:15pm

Other infrastructure has shut down in inclement weather whether it's airports, CTA, Metra, etc.  It's unfortunate but it happens when there's inclement weather.

To address your second point, it Divvy appears to have noted that they could shutdown when the weather is bad or for other reasons.  Prior warning is great but sometimes shutdowns can't be predicted in advance.  It looks like Divvy gave a few hours notice when it became apparent that the weather and road conditions were going to be pretty bad.

Plus Divvy probably had something like this in mind in shutting down.  Getting sued for providing bike rentals in a snowstorm isn't the best way to keep operating.

Eli said:

It's not like the kayak tours/bike tours/segway tours/boat tours are running now.

1. These are recreational activities, not infrastructure that is used by people to conduct their necessary daily business.

2. These companies did not take both individuals' subscriptions and tax dollars based on their explicit claim that they would be open 365 days a year. Also, when they shut down, they tend to announce that fact before, rather than after, the shutdown occurs, so that people can make plans and do not end up stranded.

Permalink Reply by S on January 3, 2014 at 12:18pm



Tom Dworzanski said:

Business don't typically make money by shutting down. (They may prevent loss by shutting down, of course.) Divvy literally makes money (as in a profit) by shutting down in the savings the retain that would otherwise be spent on running the system.

If Divvy were open, how much money would they be making if they stayed open?  I doubt there are people getting day passes right now.  The overwhelming majority of  people using the Divvy in winter and especially in conditions like yesterday are passholders.  Shutting down probably saved a bunch of money in terms of operating costs and made things safer for employees that would otherwise be driving around rebalancing docks.

Permalink Reply by Alex Z on January 3, 2014 at 12:24pm

Ah, I was hoping I might be able to ride tonight but, alas. Glad to hear things will be back online tomorrow!

Michael B said:

I called Divvy because I'm about to head downtown and normally Divvy from the Chicago Blue line stop. They said service will return tomorrow morning.

Permalink Reply by h' Zerocats on January 3, 2014 at 12:41pm

Aw, man, this discussion was just getting off the ground. :-(
 
Michael B said:

I called Divvy because I'm about to head downtown and normally Divvy from the Chicago Blue line stop. They said service will return tomorrow morning.

Permalink Reply by in it to win it 8.0 mi on January 3, 2014 at 12:44pm

Divvy just started here in Chicago.

This is their first Chicago Winter.

I'm sure they'll learn from this experience and tweak as they mature.

Maybe they could create a "hard-core" fob for those that would venture out no matter the conditions; and, as a holder of said fob, you would sign a waiver releasing any party from fault; and that "hard-core" fob would work even if the official word is "shut down."  I'm sure the technology exists.

Permalink Reply by Tom Dworzanski on January 3, 2014 at 1:06pm

Exactly. Except Divvy (Alta) doesn't really save money. They make a profit. The more they shut down the more profit they earn get.

I was under the impression that the whole point of justifying (what I call) the extreme cost of Divvy was the great 24/7/365 service we would get, even when tourist revenues don't justify being open.

S said:



Tom Dworzanski said:

Business don't typically make money by shutting down. (They may prevent loss by shutting down, of course.) Divvy literally makes money (as in a profit) by shutting down in the savings the retain that would otherwise be spent on running the system.

If Divvy were open, how much money would they be making if they stayed open?  I doubt there are people getting day passes right now.  The overwhelming majority of  people using the Divvy in winter and especially in conditions like yesterday are passholders.  Shutting down probably saved a bunch of money in terms of operating costs and made things safer for employees that would otherwise be driving around rebalancing docks.

Permalink Reply by Kevin C Dormant on January 3, 2014 at 1:12pm

Storm leaves planes stranded for hours on Midway Tarmac.

Sometimes weather in Chicago adversely affects transportation options. For every 24 hour period Divvy is locked down, each Divvy annual pass holder is "losing" just under $0.21. Were it not for the disclosure in the initial contract which they all entered into, I'd smell a class action lawsuit. 

Permalink Reply by Lisa Curcio on January 3, 2014 at 1:22pm

But Southwest Airlines never promised anyone 24/7/365 service for just under $0.21 per day!

Kevin C said:

Storm leaves planes stranded for hours on Midway Tarmac.

Sometimes weather in Chicago adversely affects transportation options. For every 24 hour period Divvy is locked down, each Divvy annual pass holder is "losing" just under $0.21. Were it not for the disclosure in the initial contract which they all entered into, I'd smell a class action lawsuit. 

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