Prioritizing Divvy Expansion in 2020
At Lyft, we’re committed to providing affordable, reliable transportation in Chicago and our cities across the country. While we operate scooters in a number of cities, you may have heard that Lyft decided not to participate in Chicago’s 2020 citywide scooter pilot in order to focus on the successful expansion of Divvy bike share. We support the city’s vision of a scooter share program that provides greater access to more neighborhoods, and Lyft has a proven track record of quality and performance. For example, out of ten operators in the 2019 scooter pilot, Lyft was the only company not to receive a citation, while serving 121,000 trips and 38,000 riders. Moreover, one-third of all trips that started in equity zones occurred on our scooters, demonstrating our commitment to the City’s equity goals and success reaching riders in those areas.
As the City’s operator of Divvy, and the largest bike share operator in North America, we know from experience that providing equitable, affordable, and accessible transportation takes time, and that ridership hinges on trust and reliability. We have spent the better part of the last year working with communities in Chicago’s South and West Sides to prepare for new Divvy stations and ebikes. Because of delays in receiving federal approvals, the Divvy expansion is just now ramping up. Starting a citywide scooter program at this crucial stage in the Divvy expansion could have impacted Lyft’s ability to meet the high standards we hold ourselves to as the city’s partner in Divvy bike share.
Divvy currently serves 40 percent of the city and 60 percent of the population, and the expansion will bring Divvy to all 50 wards and create the largest bikeshare service area in the U.S. Lyft is paying for the new bikes and stations through a $50 million investment and is also providing the city with an additional $77 million for transportation over a nine-year period
On July 16, Divvy began adding docking stations on the Far South Side, and ebikes will be added to this area and across the Divvy service area starting July 29. 3500 ebikes will be added this year to go along with nearly 6000 classic pedal bikes already in the system. The citywide expansion will continue in 2021 and the first part of 2022.
We think ebikes will be a game-changer for Divvy. Ebikes can be used for longer trips, which is especially useful in the Chicago expansion areas that have less density, and Divvy ebikes can be parked at docking stations or locked to public bike racks. Ebikes can attract new riders, including senior citizens and people with physical limitations. The data shows how popular ebikes are, with our bike share ebikes averaging about twice as many rides per bike compared to pedal bikes. This is true across a variety of neighborhoods with different socio-economic conditions.
For those who choose Divvy ebikes, there is an additional per-minute fee for the upgrade compared to pedal bikes. However, Divvy is waiving ebike fees this year across 68% of the service area where pedal bikes may be in short supply because of low station density in 2020. Moreover, income-eligible Chicagoans can receive unlimited pedal bike trips and 75% discounts on ebikes for just $5 for the first year year as Divvy for Everyone members.
Lyft is committed to the long-term success of micromobility and providing options for all Chicagoans. While we are choosing to focus on the Divvy expansion in 2020, in 2021 we look forward to working with the City to create a more seamless rider experience that combines bike and scooter share into a unified Divvy program and drives increasing modeshift to micromobility and public transit.
