It works. Worldwide. Over 100 public bicycle systems are operating in cities across the globe in every culture and climate—from Stockholm to Santiago, Montreal to Shanghai. Paris Velib’ offers over 21,000 public bicycles in 1,400 kiosks, and automatically tracks who has checked out every bicycle at every minute. Since it was launched in July 2007, Velib’ riders have taken more than 42 million trips on public bikes. Hangzhou, China launched 10,000 public bikes in 2008 and plans to grow to 50,000 bicycles within one year.

Bikes: Nice Ride bikes will be designed for one job—short trips in the city by people wearing regular clothes and carrying ordinary stuff. Public bikes have fenders, lights, and a rack for your bag. They are sturdy, clean, and ready to go. The only thing you may have to adjust is the seat. And it’s easy.

Kiosks: Nice Ride bikes will be securely locked in self-service kiosks. To get one, you just insert your subscription card.

Network: Approximately 1,000 bikes will be locked in 80 kiosks throughout Downtown, the UofM campus, and Uptown. You can take a bike at any kiosk and drop it off at any kiosk. It is that simple.

To join Minnesota Nice Ride: Users will be able to sign up on-line or at the kiosk. Annual (April-November), weekly, or daily subscriptions are offered.

With your card in hand, the first half-hour of every ride is free. A small fee will be collected for trips longer than a half-hour to encourage users to get the bikes back into kiosks so bikes stay in circulation.