Jump bikes: Scrap Emanuel’s bike-share plan with Lyft for a fairer deal with us
It’s important to set the record straight about the impact of the exclusive, back-door deal the city of Chicago struck with Lyft, which owns Divvy.
Most Chicagoans would agree that any company that wants to invest in Chicago should be invited to do so. But the no-bid, exclusive contract the city proposed grants Divvy a monopoly and slams the door on a larger and undeniably more equitable proposal from Jump. (Jump is owned by Uber.)
Divvy has served the North Side well, but the sad reality is that the South and West sides are being neglected. That’s why we proposed to Mayor Rahm Emanuel’s office that Jump invest $450 million to enhance infrastructure, create 500 jobs on the West and South sides and bring bikes to all 50 wards.
We planned to expand citywide alongside Divvy, neither demanding or needing exclusivity. More importantly, we planned to introduce bike service first on the South and West sides by May 2019, immediately addressing Divvy’s most obvious failure.
By pushing a smaller, slower and exclusive proposal, the city does a disservice to all Chicagoans. Residents should enjoy the new jobs, infrastructure improvements and additional revenue that comes from both investments. All of Chicago should have access to bikes in 2019, not wait for 2021 as Divvy proposes.
The good news is that City Council has a voice in this matter. In two weeks, aldermen will vote to either approve or amend this contract.
Jump’s position is clear: do both. Let Divvy expand through 2021 and let Jump bring bikes to all 50 wards within two months. I hope all Chicagoans will join us in urging their aldermen to reject exclusive deals. Two investments are better than one.