CHICAGO — The heavy snowfall that is expected to continue into Thursday evening has shut down the city's bike-sharing system for the day.
In a statement, the operators of Divvy said the bike rental stations would temporarily close for business at noon Thursday due to inclement weather.
"No bikes can be rented after the temporary closure has begun, though any bikes in use at the time can be returned to any Divvy station with an available dock," the statement said.
Divvy prepared for winter by reducing the number of bikes on the street, but its operators told DNAinfo Chicago in October that the stations would close for "severe storms."
"Riders in the middle of trips will still be able to return bikes to stations, but won't be able to take bikes out," Elliot Greenberger, a spokesman for the bike-sharing company said at the time.
Greenberger said there is "no hard and fast rule" to determine when the bike sharing program would be forced to shut down, but the determination was based on overall conditions. Divvy has no timeline for when they plan to reopen the stations, but the decision will be made based on snow fall and street conditions for Divvy workers along with riders.
Greenberger said the reception from riders on social media has been positive after the first ever shut down of the system.
"A lot of people are saying 'good call.' I believe people believe it was the right decision based on social media," Greenberger said.
People have been using the bikes despite the cold and snowy season. In a statement, Divvy said nearly 45,000 trips were taken in December.
Anyone with questions about the system being open or closed is asked to call 1-855-55-DIVVY and watch for updates on the Divvy website.
