Chicago City Wire

The Chicago Department of Transportation (CDOT) and Lyft have introduced a new generation of Divvy e-scooters in Chicago, marking the first anniversary since Divvy became the first bikeshare system in the United States to incorporate docked e-scooters. The updated scooters come with enhanced safety features and are designed for a more comfortable ride. By the end of June, 500 new scooters will be added to the fleet, increasing the total number of docked scooters to 1,500.

CDOT Commissioner Gia Biagi emphasized the importance of micromobility in Chicago's transportation network. "Micromobility has become a critical part of Chicago’s transportation landscape, with more Chicagoans than ever using Divvy bikes and shared e-scooters to get to the places they need and want to go," Biagi stated. "Today’s announcement underscores Divvy’s commitment to not only expanding service but improving safety and convenience."

Caroline Samponaro from Lyft highlighted improvements made based on previous models: "Our new scooter is purpose-built for cities like Chicago, incorporating learnings from the previous model to make it more reliable and theft resistant while keeping safety and the rider experience top of mind."

Michael Edwards from Chicago Loop Alliance expressed support for these developments: “We appreciate Divvy’s commitment to new strategies that assist in safer transportation experiences throughout Chicago, and Chicago Loop Alliance proudly partners with them to enhance the future of micromobility.”

The upgraded scooters feature several enhancements such as dual handbrakes for better control, turn signals for safe signaling, improved sidewalk riding detection through vision processing systems, phone holders with wireless charging capabilities, and larger batteries that reduce maintenance needs by 53 percent.

Chicago's shared micromobility usage continues to grow rapidly. Since their launch last year, Divvy scooters have logged 875,000 trips and are expected to surpass one million by June's end. Alongside companies like Lime, Spin, and Superpedestrian holding business licenses in scooter sharing within city limits—over 2.1 million shared scooter trips occurred since May last year.

In 2022 alone—Divvy recorded over six million bike-and-scooter rides—a significant increase compared against pre-pandemic figures; this upward trend persisted into early months this year—with an additional eleven percent growth observed when compared against similar periods last year.

Last month saw further expansion efforts—including coverage across all fifty wards citywide—making it North America's largest bikeshare system by area size today! Plans remain underway towards bolstering existing infrastructure via adding up-to-250-new-stations-between-now-and-next-year-alongside-nearly-three-thousand-classic-bikes!

Since launching back-in-2020—the-Divvy-for-Everyone-(D4E)-program-has-seen-a-fourfold-increase-in-membership-numbers-reaching-eight-thousand-currently-offering-discounted-rides-for-income-qualified-residents!