Record 11 million trips taken on Divvy bikes, shared scooters in 2024
Rentable bikes and scooters are having a moment in Chicago.
A record 11 million trips were taken on shared bikes and scooters in 2024, the Chicago Department of Transportation announced Wednesday.
The total includes trips on Divvy bikes and scooters, under a program operated by Lyft and overseen by the Transportation Department, and on scooters from competitors Lime and Spin.
By comparison, there were 8.7 million trips in 2023, according to a spokeswoman for the Transportation Department.
It's the fourth straight year of increasing ridership on shared scooters and bikes, according to the city.
Mayor Brandon Johnson, in a statement, said the ridership record "highlights our collective commitment to building a greener, healthier, and more connected city."
The record will surely be used as justification for the city's continued investment in micromobility — the term for rentable bikes and scooters as alternatives to public transportation and automobiles.
The city has been expanding its network of Divvy bike and scooter docking stations for years. It expanded stations to all 50 wards in 2023. The city says it is in the middle of adding 400 more stations on the Northwest, Southwest, and Far South Sides to reach its goal of four stations per square mile.
The city has 1,029 Divvy docking stations, according to the city’s data portal.
The city said it prioritized adding stations near key transit points, adding docks in 2024 at the Peterson/Ridge Metra Station, the CTA Damen Green Line station, and CTA Orange Line’s Midway Airport station.
The city also plans to electrify dozens more Divvy docking stations in 2025. Electrified docks automatically charge electric bikes and scooters, reducing the need for city employees to manually swap out batteries. Seventeen electrified stations have been installed, according to the city.
The city wants to eliminate 80% of battery swapping by electrifying the most-used stations. That could eliminate 100,000 vehicle miles each year for swapping out batteries, according to the city.
Editor's note: The Chicago Department of Transportation now says they recorded 11 million rides on shared bikes and scooters in 2024. Its initial announcement said there were 10 million rides that year.