The proposed Divvy contract extension goes before the Traffic Safety committee for a vote tomorrow, but there are key Lime objections

Update 10/8/26, 10:00 PM: In an interesting development, Streetsblog Chicago just learned that the local news and culture website The Triibe is once again involved in the opposition to a proposed Divvy/Lyft contract change.

In March 2019 when a Divvy/Lyft contract amendment was being considered, Lyft competitor Uber paid The Triibe to produce coverage opposing the deal. The Triibe wasn’t 100 percent transparent about the transaction, failing to mention the sponsorship in all social media posts about their article.

We’ve seen no evidence of any wrongdoing this time, but once again The Triibe has run material opposing the current Divvy/Lyft contract extension proposal. This time the op-ed is credited to We Keep You Rollin’, the respected Far South Side walk/bike/transit advocacy group.

Per a source, unlike how The Triibe was paid by Uber to oppose the 2019 Divvy/Lyft amendment, WKYR was not compensated by Lime to oppose the current Divvy/Lyft extension. Instead, the source says, WKYR wrote the op-ed in The Triibe because they don’t want to see Lime leave the Far South Side.

Personally, as someone who has written many articles about WKYR’s many important advocacy campaigns and vibrant cycling event, I’m optimistic that explanation is accurate.

Tomorrow morning, City Council’s Committee on Pedestrian and Traffic Safety may vote on whether to extend the contract for Lyft to serve as the concessionaire for the Chicago Department of Transportation-controlled Divvy bike- and scooter-share system.

The Mayor Brandon Johnson administration promises that the deal will allow CDOT and Lyft to “expand Divvy, improve safety, and lock in affordability for Chicago riders.” And the Active Transportation Alliance recently gave a full-throated endorsement to the plan.

However, Lime, Divvy’s sole remaining competitor, appears to be green with envy about the proposed five year extension. They’re arguing that the deal would essentially give Lyft a monopoly over rental micromobility devices in the Windy City. The citrus-themed company is calling on the Council to pause the contract extension “and protect transportation competition and choice, especially for [the] South and West sides and low-income riders.”

CDOT, and Lyft introduced the contract ordinance to the Council on September 23. In an announcement that day, the Mayor’s Office said the deal is needed “to continue growing and modernizing Chicago’s Divvy bikeshare program, building on record-breaking Divvy ridership and bringing new investments to improve affordability, reliability, innovation, and safety for riders through a five-year contract extension.” The press release added, “The extension, which is authorized under the current contract, would extend Lyft’s agreement to operate the City’s Divvy system into 2033.”  

“The extension provides Chicagoans an extended price freeze on annual memberships, as well as a new 50% discount on non-member rides starting or ending in neighborhoods on the South and West Sides, a price reduction on scooters, and caps on future price increases,” the mayor’s office added. Read more info about the plan in the release.  

Active Trans gave the proposal a thumbs up in a Chicago Tribune letter to the editor yesterday. “Divvy, Chicago’s bike and scooter share system, logged back-to-back million-ride months in July and August, on top of a record 6.8 million rides in 2025,” noted Jim Merrell, the advocacy group’s managing director of advocacy. “Divvy eases Chicago’s dependence on cars for everyday trips. That means fewer clogged roadways and less climate pollution. Even if you don’t use Divvy, you benefit from it.”

“As the City Council considers a new contract with Divvy’s operator, Lyft, it’s critical that we move forward so that both residents and visitors can continue to reap the rewards of having a world-class bike-sharing program in our city,” Merrell added. “This ongoing partnership will help ensure a high level of service, which includes accessible stations, a fleet of bikes and scooters that are well maintained, and affordable rates for riders.”

However, earlier this week, Lime put out a rather acidic press release of their own, arguing against divvying up the lion’s share of the local micromobility rental market to the nation’s second-largest ride-hail company.

“Chicago’s shared micromobility system is successful because both Lyft and Lime operate together and complement each other, as last year’s growth in ridership demonstrated,” stated Lime Regional Head of Community and Government Relations Lee Foley. “As Lyft rushes the City into handing them a de facto monopoly, we urge the Council to hit the brakes on Lyft’s proposed contract amendment to protect Chicago riders.”

“This amendment deserves a full vetting, including appropriately weighing the negative impacts a potential Lyft monopoly could have on Chicago,” Foley added. “Lime’s focus on equity in particular, with automatic discounts for Chicagoans on the South and West Sides and thousands of Lime Access riders, should not be thrown away carelessly.”

Another Lime spokesperson pointed me to a quote I hadn’t noticed in a Streetsblog NYC article about Mayor Zohran Mamdani’s efforts to reduce rising user costs for the Big Apple’s Citi Bike bike-share system, for which Lyft is also the concessionaire. Former Washington, D.C. and Chicago transportation chief Gabe Klein, who launched bike rental networks in both cities, voiced support for having multiple companies offering microbility devices in the same town.

“I don’t want to take an Uber because I can’t get a Capital Bikeshare bike. I want my backup to be another micromobility option,” Klein told SBNYC. “The dockless private side also needs to be allowed to grow dramatically, and it’s not going to hurt a city program.”

When I asked CDOT and Lyft representatives to responde to Lime’s rather tart commentary about the contract extension, a spokesperson for the Mayor’s Office sent a response. “As we build upon our progress fostering an equitable, sustainable, and rapidly growing micro mobility ecosystem, the City appreciates Lime’s continued desire to invest in Chicago,” they stated. “The administration will continue to engage with industry partners and members of the City Council as the legislative process plays out.”

What will take place at tomorrow’s committee meeting addressing the issue? Time will tell, but since Divvy and Lime supporters are both likely to testify, there’s sure to be some zesty commentary.

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