Nice Ride Minnesota
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. 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.
| Nice Ride Minnesota | |
|---|---|
Bikes at a Nice Ride MN station | |
| Overview | |
| Owner | City of Minneapolis |
| Locale | Minneapolis – Saint Paul, Minnesota |
| Transit type | Bicycle sharing system |
| Number of stations | 190 |
| Website | NiceRideMN.com |
| Operation | |
| Began operation | June 10, 2010 |
| Ended operation | November 13, 2022 |
| Operator(s) | Lyft |
| Number of vehicles | 1,700 |
As of 2011, the system offered 1,700 bicycles for rent at 190 kiosks in both Minneapolis and St. Paul. 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. 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.
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.