How the data collected by dockless bikes can be useful for cities (and hackers)

2018-10-05T14:37:00-04:00

In the 18 months or so since dockless bike-share arrived in the US, the service has spread to at least 88 American cities. (On the provider side, at least 10 companies have jumped into the business; Lime is one of the largest.) Some of those cities now have more than a year of data related to the programs, and they’ve started gleaning insights and catering to the increased number of cyclists on their streets.

Technology Review writer Elizabeth Woyke looks at ways how city planners in Seattle, WA and South Bend, IN use the immense stream of user-generated location data from dockless-bike-sharing programs to improve urban mobility — and how hackers could potentially access and abuse this (supposedly anonymous) information. "In theory, the fact that people can park dockless bikes outside their exact destinations could make it easier for someone who hacked into the data to decode the anonymous identities that companies assign their users," Woyke writes.

Chicago to offer $5-per-year bike shares to low-income residents

2015-07-07T19:08:00-04:00

“In two years Divvy has grown to more neighborhoods and become a transit option for more residents, but cost was still a barrier for too many people,” said Mayor Emanuel. “Divvy only works when everyone has a chance to use it. Today we are bridging gaps by offering $5 annual memberships so more residents can benefit from Divvy, regardless of their ability to pay.”

Chicago's Divvy ride-share program is one of the most popular in the country. In its two-year history, a reported 9.25 million miles have been logged on more than 4.4 million trips. This Fourth of July alone, 24,500 trips were taken on the pale blue bikes.

Earlier this year, the City of Chicago announced that it would greatly expand the reach of the program, adding 176 stations and more than 1,750 bikes. This makes Divvy North America's largest bike-share program, both in terms of the amount of stations and its geographic reach. While other bike-share programs, like New York's Citi Bike, remain largely relegated to more affluent areas, the Divvy bikes can be found "as far south as 75th Street and as far west as Pulaski Road."

Today, Mayor Rahm Emmanuel announced that the city would offer $5/year memberships to the city's low-income residents. Specifically, the 'Divvy for Everyone (D4e) Program' will be made available to "Chicago residents with incomes below 300 percent of the federal ...

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How the data collected by dockless bikes can be useful for cities (and hackers)

Chicago to offer $5-per-year bike shares to low-income residents