“And we want those benefits to come to our neighborhoods as well.”

“There’s a lot of benefits that are largely accruing in predominantly white neighborhoods,” said Olatunji Oboi Reed, president and CEO of the racial equity-focused mobility nonprofit Equiticity. The prevalence of e-bikes was one of the factors contributing to a shortage of bikes on the streets last summer.Īnd complaints about the availability and condition of docks, bikes and bike lanes persist. The introduction of e-bikes in 2020 meant easier pedaling for riders, but also sent prices skyrocketing for many trips, making Divvy unaffordable for some. Divvy only reached all of the city’s 50 wards this year, and advocates say despite progress, not enough has been done to serve majority Black and brown areas that need more public transportation options.

The bikes are one option for commuters to reach offices, but they have also been used by tourists, residents heading out for errands or social outings and recreational riders who flocked to the bikes during the COVID-19 pandemic.īut the bike system also faced challenges. In the decade since, Divvy has in many ways become part of the fabric of Chicago. Transportation officials at the time thought they would be especially geared toward Metra and CTA commuters who needed a quick way to travel between train stations and offices. The shared bikes made their delayed, slightly bumpy debut during the 2013 Blackhawks Stanley Cup victory parade, at first serving only the streets of downtown and River North. Ten years ago, the first big blue Divvy bikes hit Chicago streets, on a mission to provide quick, inexpensive transportation and add one more car-free way of getting around the sprawling city.

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