Is your most convenient Divvy docking station full? Parking an e-bike or e-scooter is now less of a hassle for members.

Here’s some good news for annual Divvy bike-sharing members who previously had to choose between two undesirable parking alternatives when their stations were blocked.

At the end of your electric bike or scooter ride, you may have discovered that the charging station closest to your destination didn’t have any available docks, so you had to drive a few blocks to a less conveniently located station, park there, and then walk a few blocks back to your destination. This made your door-to-door commute much more time-consuming.

Or you could use your e-bike or e-scooter’s built-in cable lock to lock the vehicle to a non-Divvy bike rack or post near your destination. However, you would pay a $1.20 off-station fee for this convenience. Let’s call this hopeless scenario the “Divvy dilemma.”

The good news is that Divvy, which is overseen by the Chicago Department of Transportation and managed by concessionaire Lyft, will no longer charge its members for locking up near a full docking station. Starting August 13, it will be free to lock a Divvy e-bike or e-scooter within 40 meters (about 130 feet) of a fully occupied station.

All Divvy members with annual subscriptions receive this benefit. This includes participants in Divvy for Everyone (D4E), which offers annual memberships to low-income Chicagoans for $5.

Sorry, non-Divvy members, if you hook your car up to a non-Divvy rack or post near a full docking station, you will still pay a hefty $2.40 off-station parking fee.

But it seems like it might be smart for Divvy to offer the same arrangement to non-members. From a cost or labor perspective, it doesn’t matter that much to Divvy whether the person who has plugged in an e-bike or e-scooter near a busy station is a member or not. And waiving the fee for non-members would make the system more attractive to visitors, which could increase the system’s revenue in the long run.

Not to brag, but Streetsblog Chicago may have contributed to this change by tweeting an SBC reader’s suggestion for the exact same policy last January and tagging Divvy and CDOT. “Divvy has the tools to alleviate (the crowded station problem),” the reader wrote to us. “Allow e-bikes and scooters to park within X feet of the station… without charging a fee.” Other Divvy users made similar recommendations on social media.

“As bike ridership and Divvy usage continues to grow across Chicago, we are committed to making the system even more user-friendly and accessible,” CDOT Commissioner Tom Carney said in a news release about the parking policy change. “This new member benefit is a direct response to rider feedback and will be especially useful at our busiest stations. With the Democratic National Convention bringing tens of thousands of people to Chicago (this week), Divvy bikes and scooters provide a fantastic, car-free way for visitors and residents to get around. We’re excited to continually improve the system to better serve everyone in the city.”

The new policy was announced along with an update on Divvy’s ongoing expansion throughout Chicago. Two weeks ago, on August 5, Divvy installed its 1,000th station at the swanky new $80 million CTA Damen Green Line station at Lake Street and Damen Avenue on the Near West Side to mark the opening.

While that installation coincided with Divvy’s removal of an existing station one block north of the new L stop, CDOT coordinating planner Kyle Peppin assured Streetsblog that the system would continue to have 1,000 stations. “The old station at Damen and Walnut will be built at one of the Divvy expansion sites,” he said. “These are generally south of 95th Street, so Roseland, West Pullman, East Side.”

“Congratulations to Divvy and the Chicago Department of Transportation on this remarkable milestone of installing their 1,000th docking station at the newly opened Damen Green Line CTA station,” said Ted Villaire, communications director for the Active Transportation Alliance, in a statement to Streetsblog. “This achievement not only represents the growth and success of the Divvy bike share system, but also underscores the commitment to providing accessible and sustainable transportation options throughout Chicago. Looking to the future, we are excited to see the continued expansion of the Divvy network with the planned installation of over 400 new docking stations in the coming years.”

“We are also pleased that the bike-sharing program is waiving the $1.20 parking fee for off-station parking as long as the member parks within 40 meters of a full station,” Villaire added. “Given how often the busier stations are full of docked bikes, this seems like a necessary step.”

CDOT and Divvy’s goal is to have at least four stations per square mile citywide. They say the system hit a record ridership with 6.6 million bike and scooter rides in 2023, adding that the system is on track to offer even more rides in 2024.

“The recent expansion of Divvy’s bike and scooter system, as well as the elimination of fees for storing e-bikes and e-scooters outside of the station (for members), is a positive step toward reducing the financial barriers that make it difficult for many Chicagoans to access transportation,” said Jose Manuel Almanza, director of advocacy and movement building at Equiticity. “This move is especially significant in Black and brown neighborhoods where transportation options have historically been limited. By making Divyy a little more affordable, we can expect to see an increase in ridership in these communities, giving residents more mobility and promoting healthier, more connected neighborhoods.”

“Much more needs to be done to reduce the overall financial burden and lack of infrastructure in our underserved communities,” Almanza added. “We must continue to advocate for policies that prioritize affordability and safety through infrastructure and ensure that everyone, regardless of income or neighborhood, can benefit from a just, inclusive and equitable transportation system.”

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