Nice Ride Minnesota: Three-Month
Update
On June 10, 2010, Nice Ride Minnesota launched the nation’s largest public bike-sharing system.
When we cut the ribbon and turned the system on, 42 stations were operating with approximately
350 bikes on the street. In mid-July, we reached our current size—65 stations operating with 600
bikes on the street.1
With expansion planning getting started for 2011, Nice Ride MN is publishing this short summary of
how we got here, our experience over the first three months, and the planning process for future
expansion. This report includes data through August 31, 2010.
1
Nice Ride MN owns 700 bikes; the system currently balances best with 600 bikes in service.
| NICERIDEMN.ORG
MARCH 24, 2016
How We Got Here
Nice Ride Minnesota was formed through the Twin Cities Bike Share Project, an initiative started by
Minneapolis Mayor R.T. Rybak and the City of Lakes Nordic Ski Foundation in July 2008. After
meeting with stakeholder groups and evaluating bike share systems, the Project prepared a nonprofit business plan and sought public and private funding. Bike/Walk Twin Cities (a program of
Transit for Livable Communities funded through the Federal Highway Administration) announced its
financial support in March of 2009, responding to a major funding commitment by the Blue Cross
and Blue Shield of Minnesota Center for Prevention (funded through the historic tobacco litigation
settlement). We held our first board of directors meeting in April of 2009. Three months later, the
board approved the Phase 1 Public Bike Kiosk Location Recommendations report prepared by Alta
Planning, specialists in bike and pedestrian planning. In early 2010, we selected Public Bike System
Co. (developers of the Montreal Bixi bike share system) to supply our bike share equipment and
formed relationships with two local businesses, Freewheel Bike Shop and Sieco Construction, to help
us assemble and install the bike share equipment.
The creation of Nice Ride Minnesota is a remarkable story of cooperation by local professionals-all
donating their time—to create something great for Minneapolis. Each of these firms donated
hundreds of hours of staff time to make Nice Ride Minnesota a reality: Dorsey & Whitney (legal),
Duffy & Partners (design), Mono (marketing), Grant Thornton (accounting), Roepke (P.R.), and
Clockwork Active Media Systems (web development).
The major contribution of Blue Cross and Blue Shield of Minnesota was essential to the creation of
Nice Ride Minnesota and our ability to receive public funding. Following that contribution, many local
companies also stepped forward to provide substantial financial donations, including Target, Gold’n
Plump Poultry, Dorsey & Whitney, Grant Thornton, Abbot Northwestern, Peace Coffee, Augsburg
College, Aveda, MCAD, Ameriprise, Freewheel Bike, Seward Co-op, Birchwood Café, Bryant Lake Bowl
and the Red Stagg Supper Club, Dero Bike Rack Company, Equal Exchange, Wedge Co-Op, U.S.
Bank, and Xcel Energy,
Nice Ride MN used the funds from these sources to purchase 65 bike share stations, 700 bikes, 2
electric vehicles, and all of the other equipment needed to operate the bike sharing system. Those
stations were installed by Sieco Construction in a service area tightly focused on downtown
Minneapolis, the University of Minnesota campus, and nearby commercial areas. During the
summer months, Nice Ride employed 13 employees: a seven-person bike maintenance crew, a
technician, an accountant, an outreach manager, an I.T. director, an operations director, and an
executive director.
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MARCH 24, 2016
Three Month Experience—The Data
Total trips by bike for all subscribers: 57,645


Yearly, student and 30-day trips: 23,703
Casual (24hr) trips: 33,942
Bikes missing presumed lost: 2
Significant incidents of vandalism >$100: 2
Reports of accidents with injury involving Nice Ride bikes: 0
Number of subscriptions sold:
Yearly standard rate ($60.00) : 963
Yearly student rate ($50.00) : 143
30-day ($30.00) 71
Total: 1177
Casual 24hr. ($5.00) subscriptions sold: 20,489
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MARCH 24, 2016
Yearly and 30-day subscriber demographics
Female: 38%
Male: 62%
Average age: 39 yrs
Average female age: 40 yrs
Average male age: 39 yrs
Maximum age:73 yrs
Length of trips, prevalence of trip fees
(all numbers 8/1/2010 – 8/31/2010)
97.4% of trips by yearly and 30-day
subscribers were under 30 minutes
and incurred no trip fees.
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MARCH 24, 2016
66.2% of trips by casual (24hr) users
were under 30 minutes and incurred
no trip fees.
Casual users were generally less
familiar than other subscribers with
the bike sharing concept and how the
fee structure worked. Of the
remaining 33.8% which did incur
fees, a substantial amount of these
fees was refunded for first time
users. We’ve made a number of
improvements to the touch screen
user interface and station signage to
address confusion among casual
(24hr) users.
Revenue 5/26 – 8/31
Subscriptions:
Yearly ($60) : $62,277
Student ($50) : $7,706
30-day ($30) : $2,295
24hr subscriptions ($5) :
$112,376
Trip fees: $59,593
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MARCH 24, 2016
Where We’re Going
From the beginning, Nice Ride’s plan has been to start with a central core to demonstrate the value
and viability of public bike share, and then expand quickly as funding becomes available.
In June, the Nice Ride Board of directors identified North Minneapolis as a priority. Funding for
expansion in North Minneapolis including at least 6 additional stations has already been identified.
This funding comes from the Minneapolis Department of Health and Family Support’s Communities
Putting Prevention to Work initiative (made possible by funding from the U.S. Department of Health
and Human Services) and Bike Walk Twin Cities, which invests federal funds to increase biking and
walking in Minneapolis and surrounding communities.
Nice Ride MN is currently seeking funding for a major expansion of the bike share system. A
community engagement process intended to solicit public input on potential locations for expansion
is underway now.
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