E-Bikes and E-Scooters Reshape Urban Mobility

Micromobility systems in major cities are increasingly operating at a scale comparable to traditional public transportation, with electric bikes and scooters providing millions of rides each year in cities including Chicago, New York and Toronto, reported Government Technology.

Divvy, Chicago’s shared bike and scooter system, is “probably the fourth-largest transit system in Northeastern Illinois,” according to David Powe, assistant commissioner for project development at the Chicago Department of Transportation. The department oversees Divvy, which Powe described as “America’s most expansive bike-share system” and the largest service area of any bike-share system in North America.

During a July 22 webinar on Chicago’s micromobility program, held ahead of the release of the 2026 Lyft Multimodal Report, officials discussed how bike- and scooter-share systems are becoming increasingly important components of urban transportation networks.

Lyft operates Divvy, which includes approximately 5,600 electric bicycles, 5,000 conventional bicycles and 2,800 scooters, supported by 1,100 docking stations.

In New York City and New Jersey, Citi Bike ridership is comparable to the annual ridership of the PATH train, formally known as the Port Authority Trans-Hudson Corp. Laura Krull, senior manager of transit and micromobility policy at Lyft Urban Solutions, told Government Technology the comparable ridership numbers are remarkable. Lyft operates Citi Bike.

In the San Francisco Bay Area, Bay Wheels, now operated by Lyft and known as Lyft Bike, could rank as the region’s seventh-largest transit operator, Krull said.

Transportation officials pointed to several factors behind the growth in micromobility ridership. The market has matured, while the expansion of electric bikes has made shared bicycles more useful for commuters. Bike- and scooter-share networks are also becoming more closely integrated with public transportation, with docking stations frequently located at transit stops.

Approximately 81% of micromobility users say they use the service to get to or from transit, Krull said.

Toronto is also integrating bike share more closely with its broader transportation network. Matthew Varsava, director of bike-share and micromobility at the Toronto Parking Authority, told Government Technology many new bike-share docking stations are being located near subway, light rail and other mobility points. The goal is to create a connected journey that meets customers where they want to be.

Chicago’s micromobility growth has also been supported by a coordinated strategy between the city and Lyft. One of the city’s early steps was establishing a major operating subsidy to stabilize pricing and encourage people who had stopped using Divvy during the pandemic to return.

The strategy addressed rising costs across other areas of daily life, including owning and operating a car and housing. As those expenses increased, Divvy became less expensive for many users.

In 2025, Chicago and Lyft focused on making Divvy more affordable, accessible and available. The annual membership price was frozen at $143, where it had been since 2024, and rates are scheduled to remain frozen until at least January 2027.

This is welcome news as Americans struggle with rising inflation and fuel prices due to the Iran war. In August, consumer prices rose 3.4% from a year earlier, compared with 3.1% wage growth.

New members and returning members who had been away for more than 30 days can receive an introductory annual membership for $99. Since the offer was introduced, more than 12,000 residents have signed up, while another 19,000 have renewed at the $143 rate.

Divvy also introduced price caps for e-bike trips. For members, rides lasting between 30 and 45 minutes are charged at the 30-minute rate. In addition, unlock fees have been eliminated in “equity priority areas,” which generally have limited access to mobility services and have historically experienced disinvestment.

The approach has contributed to increased ridership. Divvy provided nearly 7 million rides across Chicago and Evanston, Illinois, in 2025, and ridership is expected to exceed 8 million rides in 2026.

Toronto has the third-largest bike-share system in the U.S. and Canada, according to Varsava. In 2025, approximately 7.8 million rides were taken on Lyft-supported micromobility services in Toronto.

By the end of 2030, Toronto plans to have more than 24,000 docking points, including 3,000 additional charging docks to support approximately 15,000 bicycles.

Toronto officials are seeking to move micromobility beyond a standalone transportation option and make it an integrated component of the city’s larger mobility system.

Varsava said bike share is being developed as a mobility service designed to create a connected journey rather than being treated as a transportation mode operating separately from other systems.