Active Transportation Alliance

What Active Transportation Alliance does

Active Transportation Alliance is a Chicago-based non-profit advocacy organization founded in 1985, originally as the Chicagoland Bicycle Federation before broadening its mission to walking and public transit and rebranding to its current name. It operates from a single headquarters at 35 East Wacker Drive, Suite 1782 in Chicago, with a staff of 11–50 employees, and is organized around an advocacy mission to make walking, biking, and public transit safe, healthy, fun, and environmentally friendly across the Chicagoland region.

The organization does not sell products or software; instead it delivers a portfolio of programs, events, and informational resources. Flagship offerings include the annual Bike the Drive event (scheduled September 6, 2026), the Bike Commuter Challenge (2,738 riders from 117 organizations in 2026), Advocacy Connect (regular virtual advocate chats split across Chicago and suburban audiences), Bus Report Cards evaluating regional transit performance, Lakefront Trail Conditions, Bike Crash Support, Bike-to-Work educational resources, and a member-discounts program. Distribution is regional and runs through content marketing (blog, email newsletter), events, volunteer engagement, and direct supporter outreach.

Revenue mechanics are non-commercial: contributions come from individual memberships, donations, corporate sponsorships, and event proceeds, with no publicly disclosed pricing or financial statements in the source data. The organization's primary measurable scale signals are programmatic (event attendance, challenge participation, blog publishing cadence of over 400 indexed pages) rather than financial, and there is no evidence of outside capital, parent ownership, or M&A activity.

Name

Active Transportation Alliance

Legal name

Active Transportation Alliance

Website

https://activetrans.org

Company type

Private

Founded year

1985

Operating status

Operating

Headcount range

11–50 employees

Short description

Active Transportation Alliance is a Chicago-based non-profit advocacy organization that promotes safe, equitable walking, biking, and public transit options for Chicagoland residents through events, education, and policy advocacy.

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Product category

Non-profit Transportation Advocacy

NAICS

Other Urban Transit Systems (485119), Urban Transit Systems (4851), Transit and Ground Passenger Transportation (485), Other Support Activities for Transportation (4889)

SIC

Services-Membership Organizations (8600), Transportation Services (4700)

akta.pro primary industry

Active Transportation & Micromobility Infrastructure (Bike/Ped Networks, Shared Mobility Programs) (BPAIALAI)

akta.pro secondary industries

Public Transit Agencies (Bus, Rail, Metro, Paratransit) (BPAIALAB), Local Transportation, Parking & Mobility Administration (BPAIACAM)

Keywords

• Transportation advocacy
• Bicycling advocacy
• Public transit policy
• Pedestrian safety
• Community advocacy

Headquarters

HQ city

Chicago

HQ country

United States

HQ region

North America

Offices1 record

Markets served

GTM type

B2C

Offering type

Services

Cost components

Personnel, Operations, Marketing or Sales, Others

Distribution channels3 records

Marketing channels4 records

Core offering

Active Transportation Alliance is a non-profit advocacy organization that advances walking, bicycling, and public transit options in the Chicagoland region. Its core offerings include policy advocacy, community events such as Bike the Drive and the Bike Commuter Challenge, educational resources (Bike To Work, Bus Report Cards, Lakefront Trail Conditions, Bike Crash Support), and member services such as Member Discounts. Revenue is generated through individual donations, memberships, and event-based fundraising.

Product overview

Active Transportation Alliance operates as a non-profit advocacy organization offering a portfolio of programs and resources rather than a unified software product. Its offerings include community events (Bike the Drive, Bike Commuter Challenge), advocacy platforms (Advocacy Connect), informational resources (Bus Report Cards, Lakefront Trail Conditions, Bike Crash Support), and member benefits. The organization focuses on making walking, biking, and public transit safe and equitable in Chicagoland.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Products and services

• Bike the Drive An annual recreational biking event where participants ride along Lake Shore Drive on the only day it closes to car traffic, offering views of Chicago's lake and skyline; open to Chicagoland-area participants.
• Advocacy Connect
• Bike Commuter Challenge An annual challenge encouraging commuters to bike to work, with participation tracked across organizations; the 2026 edition featured 2,738 riders from 117 organizations.
• Bus Report Cards
• Bike Crash Support External resource offering support and guidance for individuals who have experienced bicycle-related crashes, provided through a partner site (pedbikecrashsupport.org).
• Lakefront Trail Conditions Regularly updated information about conditions on Chicagoland's lakefront trail for walkers and cyclists, available as a free resource on the organization's website.
• Bike To Work Resources Guides and resources to help individuals prepare for and transition to commuting by bicycle, provided as free educational content.
• Member Discounts Discounted services and products available to members of Active Transportation Alliance, provided as a benefit of joining the membership program.
• Membership Program Membership program for individuals to join and support active transportation advocacy in Chicagoland, providing member benefits such as discounts and engagement opportunities.

Segments1 record

Ideal customer profiles2 records

Technology focussed No

API detail

Has API

No

API docs

API detail

Core technology

AI maturity

App detail

Recent moves6 records

Expansion highlights4 records

Broad incumbents

• Rails-to-Trails Conservancy: National non-profit focused on converting rail corridors into active transportation trails. Similar non-profit advocacy structure and active transportation focus, with national footprint and trail-building programmatic depth.
• League of American Bicyclists: National bicycling advocacy organization founded in 1880, focused on federal and state policy. Comparable mission and advocacy orientation, but operates as a national umbrella rather than a regional/community advocate.
• PeopleForBikes: National bicycling advocacy and industry trade association based in Colorado. Comparable in mission and policy advocacy focus, but operates nationally with industry and corporate membership, giving it wider reach than a single-region advocate like Active Transportation Alliance.

Regional players

• Streetsblog Chicago: Chicago-specific urbanist news and commentary outlet covering streets, transit, and active transportation. Regional peer operating in the same Chicagoland advocacy ecosystem and covering overlapping policy issues, though as media rather than an advocacy non-profit.
• Metropolitan Planning Council: Chicago-based regional planning and policy non-profit addressing transportation, land use, and equity. Regional peer working in adjacent transportation policy domains in the same geography, with a broader scope beyond active transportation.
• Center for Neighborhood Technology: Chicago-based non-profit focused on sustainable, equitable urban development with a strong transportation practice. Comparable Chicago-anchored non-profit model working on transportation and sustainability, addressing related policy and equity topics.
• WalkBoston: Massachusetts-based non-profit advocating for walkable communities. Direct regional peer in walking advocacy with an analogous non-profit structure and community-engagement model, but serving a different metro.
• BikeMN: Minnesota state-wide bicycling advocacy non-profit. Comparable regional active-transportation advocacy organization with a state rather than metro focus, offering a useful structural parallel for understanding the Alliance's regional model.

Direct peers

• America Walks: National non-profit advocating for walkable communities. Direct peer in walking-focused advocacy and policy work, complementary to Active Transportation Alliance's walking pillar but operating nationally and as a coalition convener.
• Transportation Alternatives: NYC-based non-profit advocacy organization promoting walking, biking, and public transit as alternatives to car dependence. Closest direct peer: same non-profit advocacy model, same active transportation tri-focus, but operating in a different major U.S. metro.

Market position

Strengths5 records

Weaknesses5 records

Competitive moat4 records

Key risks5 records

Key highlights6 records

Customer concentration

• Xx.com/activetrans
• Facebookfacebook.com/activetrans
• LinkedInlinkedin.com/company/active-transportation-alliance

Revenue estimate

Valuation estimate

Number of profiles

Profiles2 records

Funding overview

Funding rounds

Investors

Funding detail is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →

M&A

Investments

M&A and investment is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →

Frequently asked questions about Active Transportation Alliance