Dive Brief:
- Chicago saw more than 11 million shared micromobility trips in 2024, a new record, it said Jan. 8.
- Out of that total, 6.7 million trips were on Divvy, the city-owned, Lyft-operated bikeshare system, with the remainder on Lime and Spin, the scooter-sharing companies that operate in the city, according to a Chicago Department of Transportation spokesperson.
- The record comes as the city has invested in new bike lanes and bike-sharing station expansions, according to the news release. The city is now focusing on electrifying Divvy stations, which would help increase e-bike availability by at least 15%, it said.
Dive Insight:
The increased shared bike and shared e-scooter ridership in Chicago reflects some positive signs for bike-sharing operations in 2024. A Bureau of Transportation Statistics blog post from June 2024 found that the number of cities with a dockless bike-sharing system had increased from 30 in June 2020 to 49 in June 2024. However, it also noted that this figure fell short of the all-time high for U.S. dockless bike share systems, which operated in 91 cities in June 2018.
Total shared micromobility trips in Chicago jumped 26% from 2023 to 2024, from 8.7 million to 11 million, according to a CDOT spokesperson. The number of Divvy trips increased from 6.6 million in 2023 to 6.7 million in 2024.
"This … makes clear the critical role of shared micromobility in getting people where they need to go," Sam Herr, executive director of the North American Bikeshare and Scootershare Association, said in an email. "Public funding and commitment to shared micromobility programs and the infrastructure that supports it, and strong public-private partnerships, are keys to success."
Herr added that a connected network of protected bike lanes and connection to the grid for shared micromobilty charging are key for improving micromobility.
Since 2023, CDOT has added over 100 miles of bike lanes, according to the news release. A Replica and CDOT analysis found that the number of people biking in the city increased 119% between fall 2019 and spring 2023, the most growth among the 10 largest U.S. cities, it said.
CDOT is also in the process of adding 400 more Divvy stations, with the goal of having four stations per square mile. It plans to electrify 110 stations, with 17 electrifications already completed.
“Chicago’s record-breaking ridership on bikes and scooters highlights our collective commitment to building a greener, healthier, and more connected city," Mayor Brandon Johnson stated in the news release. "We are committed to ensuring that every neighborhood has access to safe and affordable transportation options, from expanding Divvy stations to creating more protected bike lanes.”
