The Chicago Department of Transportation announced Wednesday it is looking to expand bike-sharing service Divvy to Evanston.
CDOT said it plans to apply for $3 million in state grants to bring the Chicago-based network to Evanston and Oak Park, Ill. The grants would fund a total of 75 stations in Chicago and the two Chicago suburbs.
CDOT assistant commissioner Sean Wiedel said the department submitted its application for the state grants in August and expects to hear back by February or March. That timeline would likely bring Divvy to Evanston and Oak Park by summer or next fall.
Evanston has expressed interest in eight stations, while Oak Park wants 12, Wiedel said. The other 65 stations would be added in Chicago, moving Divvy closer to becoming one of the largest bike-sharing systems in the world.
In September, Evanston aldermen agreed to apply for a state grant to support Divvy’s suburban expansion. Evanston was asked to match 20 percent of the potential funds, according to city documents.
Since Divvy launched in June, its Chicago customers have taken 650,000 trips, together riding more than 1.5 million miles, according to CDOT.
— Patrick Svitek
