Nice Ride Minnesota

Nice Ride Minnesota
Bikes at a Nice Ride MN station
Bikes at a Nice Ride MN station
Overview
OwnerCity of Minneapolis
LocaleMinneapolis – Saint Paul, Minnesota
Transit typeBicycle-sharing system
Number of stations190
Websiteniceridemn.com
Operation
Began operationJune 10, 2010; 14 years ago (2010-06-10)
Ended operationNovember 13, 2022; 2 years ago (2022-11-13)
Operator(s)Lyft
Number of vehicles1,700

Nice Ride Minnesota was a seasonally operated nonprofit bicycle sharing system in Minneapolis and St. Paul, Minnesota based on the BIXI brand created by Public Bike System Company and first used in Montreal. Launched on June 10, 2010, it served over 10,000 trips in its first month and reached 100,817 rides in the first season of operation.[1][2] The bicycles in the system are manufactured by Cycles Devinci. They are painted fluorescent green and include a cargo carrier and headlights. They receive daily maintenance, and are redistributed throughout the system via truck.[3]

As of 2011, the system offered 1,700 bicycles for rent at 190 kiosks in both Minneapolis and St. Paul.[4] The solar-powered kiosks are distributed throughout much of Minneapolis and Saint Paul. Bike availability can be checked in real-time via smartphone or an online map. In the long term, the network is intended to cover most of Minneapolis and St. Paul.[3] Nice Ride operates from the first week of April through the first week of November. The bikes and stations are removed during the winter in order to protect them from damage (particularly corrosion from road salt) and make way for snow plows.[5]

The system did not reopen after the end of the 2022 season, as Blue Cross Blue Shield, the main sponsor, announced it would not renew its sponsorship contract.[6]

  1. ^ Mitch Vars (November 9, 2010). "2010 Season Comes to a Close with Over 100,000 Rides". Nice Ride Minnesota. Retrieved March 24, 2012.
  2. ^ Andre Eggert (November 10, 2010). "Nice Ride program tops first-year goals". Minnesota Daily. Retrieved March 24, 2012.
  3. ^ a b Danielle Nordine (June 9, 2010). "Minneapolis to launch bike-share system". Minnesota Daily. Retrieved April 3, 2012.
  4. ^ Goodyear, Sarah (2 August 2011). "Bikeshare makes for a Nice Ride in Minneapolis". Grist. Retrieved 2 September 2011.
  5. ^ "Nice Ride 2011 season ends November 6". Nice Ride Minnesota. Retrieved 19 November 2011.
  6. ^ Cassel, Em (2023-03-01). "There Will Be No Nice Ride Program This Year—and Likely Ever Again". Racket. Retrieved 2023-03-03.