Gaining Speed: Chicago's Divvy Bike Share Will be 3rd in U.S. to Reach 10M Riders

Mayor Rahm Emanuel and the Chicago Department of Transportation (CDOT) announced Thursday that Divvy, Chicago’s popular bike share system, is closing in on a major milestone as it approaches the 10 million trip mark.

Divvy is anticipating that it will cross the threshold in the coming weeks, possibly before the end of the year. As of today, the bike share system, which is operated by the Chicago Department of Transportation (CDOT), has logged more than 9,985,000 trips.

"Whether it be the train, bus, taxi, car sharing or bike sharing, the City of Chicago offers residents and visitors a variety of high quality transportation options to get them where they need to go," Emanuel said. "This significant milestone is a testament to both Chicago's bike sharing system and the infrastructure investments we've made to make it safer and easier to bike across the city.

Divvy, which launched service in June of 2013, is poised to become the third bike share system in the United States to hit the 10 million rider mark. The other two cities to reach 10 million trips are Capital Bikeshare in DC, which launched in 2010, and Citi Bike in New York City, which launched a month before Divvy.

As Divvy wraps up the year, it’s seen a 14 percent increase in trips over last year, with over 3.5 million trips taken so far in 2016. After adding more than 85 new bike share stations and more than 1,000 new bikes in 2016, Divvy maintained its status as the geographically largest bike share station in North America with 580 stations and 5,800 bikes.

“Reaching 10 million trips in just three-and-a-half years is a testament to the growing popularity of biking in Chicago,” CDOT Commissioner Rebekah Scheinfeld said. “We hope that crossing this threshold will inspire more people to take advantage of Divvy for getting around Chicago, whether it’s as annual members or using convenient daily passes.”

In order to track the coming milestone, Divvy has created a countdown clock that can be viewed at www.DivvyBikes.com/10million.

The website will be updated every five minutes, displaying the total number of trips taken as it approaches it 10 millionth trip. To celebrate this milestone, Divvy will be awarding the 10 millionth rider with a free year of membership, plus three gift memberships to share with family and friends.

In terms of the health and environmental benefits, Divvy has put together the following of estimates of what 10 million trips translates to:

“It’s been wonderful to see Divvy begin with just 69 stations, and grow to more than 580 stations all across Chicago and into the surrounding suburbs of Evanston and Oak Park in a little over three years,” Divvy General Manager Elliot Greenberger said. “We're looking forward to starting 2017 with a focus on our next 10 million trips and maintaining a high level of service.”
In 2016, the most popular Divvy station destinations in Chicago were:

1. Streeter Dr. & Grand Ave. (Navy Pier)
2. Lake Shore Dr. & Monroe St.
3. Theater on the Lake (Fullerton Beach)
4. Lake Shore Dr. & North Blvd.
5. Clinton St. & Washington Blvd. (Ogilvie Station)
6. Michigan Ave. & Oak St.
7. Millennium Park
8. Clinton St. & Madison St.
9. Canal St. & Madison St.
10. Canal St. & Adams St. (Union Station)

“The most popular stations show that Chicagoans and visitors are taking Divvy for a mix of reasons,” says Divvy marketing manager Hannah Helbert. “At locations all across Chicagoland, our riders are using bike share to explore the city, get to and from work, run errands, and meet up with friends. We’re excited to see all the millions of ways our riders use Divvy in the new year!”