CHICAGO (AP) — Chicago is expanding access to its bike sharing network by slashing the annual membership fee for low-income residents.
The city announced Tuesday that it has cut the fee from $75 to $5 for individuals earning less than $35,000 a year. Families of four with household incomes of less than $72,000 also qualify.
Mayor Rahm Emanuel told an audience at a South Side community center that he wants to make sure “all parts of the city have access to an alternative form of transportation.”
He adds that if it’s not also financially accessible, Chicago’s shared bicycles will just be “another piece of public furniture.”
The two-year-old program now has around 470 stations scattered throughout the city. According to Divvy’s website, the system serves 56 percent of Chicago’s population.
