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Divvy bicycle sharing wheeling into Evanston

DivvyDivvy, already the nation’s largest bike sharing program, is coming to Evanston thanks to persistence and hard work of the City’s team. The announcement was made by Mayor Elizabeth Tisdahl at the city’s annual Bike the Ridge event on Sunday, September 28.

The plan is to launch at least 8 stations in the City of Evanston in the Spring of 2015 with the potential for more dependent on cooperative funding with some of the City’s largest partners. A grant from the State of Illinois is providing $432,000 and Evanston will contribute $108,000, which will come from various sources in the city budget and possible station sponsors from the private sector, city manager Wally Bobkiewicz said in an email to the Evanston media.

“We’re thrilled,” said Rob Whittier, Northwestern’s Director of Sustainability. “Bike sharing is an incredibly valuable service for our students, faculty, and staff.” Whittier also said that students have been pushing NU to launch a bike sharing service for the last year or more.  “There are several models that the University could implement and this certainly makes Divvy a viable option.” he added.

Northwestern currently has a $10 Divvy annual member discount available to faculty and staff members and a $20 discount for NU students.

2.5 million trips have been taken on Divvy bikes since Chicago launched the program in 2013. There are over 3,000 bikes available to rent at 300 stations across the city. In addition to Evanston, other communities are joining the program. The City of Chicago is adding over 240 stations and 1,750 bikes in the Spring of 2015.