Nice Ride Minnesota
Encyclopedia
Nice Ride Minnesota is a nonprofit bicycle sharing system in Minneapolis and St. Paul
, Minnesota based on the Bixi
system from Montreal. Launched on June 10th, 2010, it served over 10,000 trips in its first month.
The system presently offers 1,200 bicycles for rent at 116 kiosks in both Minneapolis and St. Paul, making it the second largest bike-share system in the country. The solar-powered kiosks are located in public places throughout Minneapolis, with initial expansion to St. Paul beginning in summer 2011 and 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 stations are also removed during the winter in order to protect them from damage and make way for snow plows.
The first half-hour of a Nice Ride rental is free (incremental charges are added for additional time), but a subscription is required. In addition, to prevent theft, Nice Ride places a $50 hold on the accounts of renters who use a 24-hour subscription as opposed to one for a longer period of time. This hold has resulted in some user frustration, and in some cases account overdraft
ing.
The bicycles in the system are painted neon green and include a cargo carrier and headlights. They receive daily maintenance, and are redistributed throughout the system via truck.
Some criticism of Nice Ride was leveled by residents of disadvantaged neighborhoods in North Minneapolis, where no kiosks were installed in Phase 1. Nice Ride has responded that while Phase 1 of the implementation was focused on the densest parts of Minneapolis, Phase 2 will include North Minneapolis (specifically Broadway, Summit Academy and International Market Square.)
Startup funding for this program was $3.2 million; major contributors included Blue Cross and Blue Shield of Minnesota, the City of Minneapolis, and a federal transportation grant.
Saint Paul, Minnesota
Saint Paul is the capital and second-most populous city of the U.S. state of Minnesota. The city lies mostly on the east bank of the Mississippi River in the area surrounding its point of confluence with the Minnesota River, and adjoins Minneapolis, the state's largest city...
, Minnesota based on the Bixi
BIXI
Bixi is a public bicycle sharing system developed by the Public Bike System Company , which itself was set up by the parking authority of Montréal to create a modular bicycle sharing system for Montréal....
system from Montreal. Launched on June 10th, 2010, it served over 10,000 trips in its first month.
The system presently offers 1,200 bicycles for rent at 116 kiosks in both Minneapolis and St. Paul, making it the second largest bike-share system in the country. The solar-powered kiosks are located in public places throughout Minneapolis, with initial expansion to St. Paul beginning in summer 2011 and bike availability can be checked in real-time via smartphone
Smartphone
A smartphone is a high-end mobile phone built on a mobile computing platform, with more advanced computing ability and connectivity than a contemporary feature phone. The first smartphones were devices that mainly combined the functions of a personal digital assistant and a mobile phone or camera...
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 stations are also removed during the winter in order to protect them from damage and make way for snow plows.
The first half-hour of a Nice Ride rental is free (incremental charges are added for additional time), but a subscription is required. In addition, to prevent theft, Nice Ride places a $50 hold on the accounts of renters who use a 24-hour subscription as opposed to one for a longer period of time. This hold has resulted in some user frustration, and in some cases account overdraft
Overdraft
An overdraft occurs when money is withdrawn from a bank account and the available balance goes below zero. In this situation the account is said to be "overdrawn". If there is a prior agreement with the account provider for an overdraft, and the amount overdrawn is within the authorized overdraft...
ing.
The bicycles in the system are painted neon green and include a cargo carrier and headlights. They receive daily maintenance, and are redistributed throughout the system via truck.
Some criticism of Nice Ride was leveled by residents of disadvantaged neighborhoods in North Minneapolis, where no kiosks were installed in Phase 1. Nice Ride has responded that while Phase 1 of the implementation was focused on the densest parts of Minneapolis, Phase 2 will include North Minneapolis (specifically Broadway, Summit Academy and International Market Square.)
Startup funding for this program was $3.2 million; major contributors included Blue Cross and Blue Shield of Minnesota, the City of Minneapolis, and a federal transportation grant.