Nice Ride Minnesota, the popular bike-sharing program that debuted two years ago in Minneapolis, is bringing more of its fleet to the capital city.
Plans call for 30 stations to be up and running in time for Bike Walk Week, June 2-10, program officials announced last week. St. Paul Mayor Chris Coleman is expected to attend a kick-off rally tentatively scheduled for June 4.
The expansion will increase to 146 the number of stations in the Twin Cities to rent and return the 1,328 green bicycles. Users pay for a daily, monthly or yearly subscription, plus additional fees for rides that last longer than 30 minutes. Riders have taken more than 350,000 trips since the program began.
Donations of $480,000 from the National Park Service, $300,000 from Blue Cross Blue Shield of Minnesota, $100,000 from both the Central Corridor Funders Collaborative and the Minnesota Department of Transportation will cover the cost. Nice Ride is conducting a membership drive through next Sunday. It also will give away 10,000 helmets.
