An extra 15 minutes.
That’s what Divvy members will receive on Feb. 1 when new rules go into effect that will increase ride time from 30 to 45 minutes before cyclists will have to re-dock at a docking station or face a fine.
The change will benefit Divvy’s 37,000 members who fork over $99 annual fees for 24 hour access to the blue single-speed bikes.
There will be no additional fee for the extra minutes.
“It’s something we’ve heard our members clamor for for months,” Divvy spokeswoman Kelly Goldthorpe said Wednesday following the announcement.
It’s not the only change Divvy is making.
The bike sharing company will also begin offering single rides that will cost $3 and allow 30 minutes of ride time before fees are incurred if the bike isn’t parked at a docking station.
Overage fees are also changing.
They will be $3 for every 30 minutes a bike is not returned.
The change will provide a uniform, easy-to-understand penalty and will replace a a confusing “progressive” structure that whacked members and daily users with separate fines that increased every half hour until reaching a cap.
Another change: The 24-hour pass now available for $9.95 that requires customers to re-dock their bikes every 30 minutes is being taken off the menu.
It will be replaced with a $15 “Explorer Pass” that will allow riders a three-hour window before being re-docking is required.
Like its predecessor, the Explorer Pass is good for 24 hours.
It was created to help decrease overage fees that tourists often get whacked with while cycling the city.
“We’re trying to solve for that,” Goldthorpe said.
In 2017 Divvy sold 337,000 24-hour passes.
“We’re super excited about these changes,” Goldthorpe said.