What It Takes to Install a Divvy Bike-Share Station

Tuesday morning I caught up with a Divvy bike-share station installation crew to tape the installation of the station in Pritzker Park across from the Harold Washington Library Center.

The system Chicago is using, developed by the Public Bike System Company, is modular and relies on solar power, so the stations can be installed very quickly, without digging up the street to connect to the electrical grid. Everything you see in this four-minute video, from removing equipment out of the blue storage van, to installing the cylindrical solar panel, was filmed in 45 minutes. That was enough time to connect four of the seven modular sections that comprise the full station. (I left before the second flatbed truck arrived bringing the three remaining station sections.)

After the initial installation, staff from PBSC came and tested the software, readying it for last evening's preview ride and the system launch this morning. As of the launch, 65 stations Divvy stations have been fully installed (four of those are temporarily shut off due to the Blackhawks parade and rally, and should turn on sometime after noon). Ten more stations will open by Monday for a phase 1 rollout of 75 stations.