Divvy vs a Bike Rental Shop in Chicago: Which Costs Less

The choice is about the shape of your day, not the brand. Divvy charges for minutes and rewards docking often. A shop charges for the day and rewards staying on one bike.

Classic bike: what each costs

Plan	Two hours	All day
Divvy day pass	$19.901	$19.90 if every ride ends within 3 hours1
Divvy single ride	$1 + 120 min × $0.20 = $25.001	Not built for it
Bike & Roll city bike	2 × $15 an hour = $30.002	$352
Bike & Roll comfort bike	2 × $20 an hour = $40.007	$457
Bobby’s Bike Hike comfort hybrid	2 × $14.99 an hour (two-hour minimum) = $29.984	$39.994

Shop prices are those each shop lists on its own page. Bobby’s quotes its online rates with a 10% discount included⁴. Divvy’s rates come from its pricing page¹.

For two hours on a classic bike, Divvy costs less than either shop: $19.90 on a day pass or $25.00 on a single ride¹. The advantage disappears on a long, continuous ride. A bike kept out for eight hours on a day pass runs $19.90 + 5 hours × 60 min × $0.20 = $79.90¹. That is more than double a shop’s $35 to $39.99 day rate^2,4. The $15.10 gap between $19.90 and Bike & Roll’s $35 city-bike day rate buys about 75 minutes at $0.20, so the shop wins once one continuous ride runs about 4 hours 15 minutes^1,2.

Ebike: what each costs

Plan	Two hours	Full day
Divvy day pass	$19.90 + 120 min × $0.44 = $72.701	Per-minute only
Divvy single ride	$1 + 120 min × $0.44 = $53.801	Per-minute only
Bike & Roll electric bike	2 × $25 an hour = $50.005	$855
Bobby’s Bike Hike electric	2 × $29.99 an hour (two-hour minimum) = $59.984	Not offered4

Without a membership, a Divvy ebike runs 60 min × $0.44 = $26.40 an hour, or $1 + $26.40 = $27.40 on a single ride¹. A shop ebike is $25 an hour at Bike & Roll⁵, with an $85 day rate⁵. Bobby’s $29.99 an hour costs more than Divvy’s $27.40^4,1. A day pass adds $19.90 on top of the same $0.44 a minute and saves only the $1 unlock on each ride¹. On a quick trip across downtown, Divvy’s minute billing wins. More on Divvy’s electric fleet: Divvy ebikes.

What is included

Both shops include a helmet and a lock with every rental^3,4. Bobby’s adds a map of paths⁴.

Bike & Roll takes a deposit: a credit card and/or a valid driver license or passport³. Divvy may place a $25 authorization on your account when you take out a bike or scooter⁸. Bike & Roll also sells a damage and theft waiver at $5 per pedal bike per day and $10 per electric bike per day³. On Divvy, the fee for a lost or stolen bike is $1200⁹.

Pick-up and return

Divvy is built for one-way trips. Pick up at the station nearest you and return to one with empty docks close to your destination¹⁰. The system counts 950 docking stations as of June 2024⁶. The app shows real-time bike and dock availability¹¹. Riders without a smartphone can buy a classic single ride pass at a kiosk⁹.

Bobby’s is round-trip. Bobby’s Bike Hike sits on the Lakefront Trail at 540 N Lake Shore Dr, and you return the bike there⁴. Bike & Roll has shops at 34 S. Michigan Ave. by Millennium Park¹² and at 600 E. Grand Ave. on Navy Pier¹². Bike & Roll lets you rent at one location and drop off at another, during business hours, at no extra fee³.

Which one to choose

• Short hops and several stops: Divvy day pass, docking each time¹.
• One long lakefront ride on a single bike: a shop, once the ride passes about 4 hours 15 minutes^2,1.
• Ebike for an afternoon: a shop, at $25 an hour⁵.
• One-way trip across town: Divvy single ride, $1 plus $0.20 a minute¹.

For the full price list, see how much a bike rental costs in Chicago. For Divvy plans, see Divvy pricing. Every guide is under Rentals & Divvy.