Divvy Bikes 4+

In Chicago for three days during decent weather, so these bikes are a great option. The bikes are super fun to ride.

I have run into multiple problems in the first 24 hours with this app misleading me into purchasing either an annual pass or a day pass that does not actually cover the bike rides.

The annual pass button popped up at my first ride in a place that appeared to be me agreeing to begin a ride. The app developers have created a deceptively and problematically frictionless purchase process; They are fronting more expensive upgrade products with without fully disclosing what you were buying or ensuring that that is what you really want.

I had the same experience with a day pass the next morning. I understood that I was buying a day pass at least that would cover all my bike rides for the day, which was perfect since I am only in town for few days. The problem is the app does not clearly delineate between what are called “classic bikes,” and “E bikes” the latter of which are still charged in addition to the day pass.

Although the physical product of writing, what turns out to be the Bike is actually really positive, this is a major issue of buyer beware and predatory app design.

I had no trouble finding bikes they were charged and worked. Sometimes finding a dock was really annoying and you still get charged if you bring it to a docking station and park it there if the docks are full.

Absolutely horrible if you want to rely on it as a form of transportation. If you want to take random rides for fun, I guess it’s fine. Their bikes are insanely heavy and hard to maneuver. The seats are impossible to adjust. The baskets they have are completely useless so you better not have anything that you need to bring with you. The e bikes are kind of good but same basket issue and you can never find them or their batteries are dead. And then there’s the issue of the docks. It’s feast or famine. They either have completely full docks so you can’t lock up the bike you have or there’s no bikes available. I tried using it as my commute to work but the complete lack of dependability on their end meant I was either going to be late or I had to use different transport. And then it’s only financially feasible if you pay for the year which if you only use it occasionally is not worth it. I don’t understand. I’ve used bike shares in other cities and they are leaps and bounds better than divvy. The bikes actually work, they have decent baskets so if you have a bag to tote it’s not a problem, you can actually find the bikes and there’s plenty of docks. Also, be wary of the e bikes because I had a $15 ride recently that was only 5 miles because I happened to be in a higher COL area. Save your money and buy yourself a bike that actually works, take the el, walk, drive. Don’t use divvy.

I’ve been a paid annual member for several years and it seems Divvy is been falling by the wayside. The most pressing issue is that the app incorrectly displays availability of classic and e-bikes at ALL Divvy stations. I went to multiple stations: 1) stated on app 3 e-bikes but station was completely empty, 2) another station 5 classic and 2 e-bikes but just had 2 e-bikes marked for repair and then 3) station also had incorrect availability. This appears to be a systemic issue that has last throughout the day even after reporting it.

Paying annual members should not have to walk 20-30 minutes to multiple stations just to check to see if there is a bike available. What’s the point of having an app if it is completely incorrect. Considering this is a public/private partnership, I’ll be reaching out to appropriate city officials for resolution and awareness of this issue, which I’m sure breeches contractual agreements. Get your act together Divvy!!!