Minneapolis rolls out new bike, scooter rentals after Nice Ride's exit

Minneapolis will have a new shared bike and scooter program this year, after Lyft announced in March it would shut down its Nice Ride bike rental program.

Bikes and scooters from three operators — Lime, Spin, and Veo — will be available for rent starting Thursday.

All three vendors will have scooter rentals, while Lime and Veo will have e-bike rentals. Riders can now end their trip anywhere, unlike Nice Ride, which required a bike docking system.

Renters can lock their bike to a bike rack or any signpost except a stop sign or bus stop sign. Riding and parking rules along with examples can be found on the city’s website.

The Lime e-bikes are Class 1, which are only motorized when the bike is actively being pedaled. The Veo e-bikes are Class 2, which have both pedal assist and throttle. Riders on the Veo e-bikes do not need to actively pedal in order to ride.

This is the first time Minneapolis has had a Class 2 e-bike in its rental program, according to a statement from city officials. “They are a great option for people with physical limitations because users don’t need to stand as they do on scooters or pedal as they do on Class 1 e-bikes,” the statement said.

Scooters will be placed throughout neighborhoods with equity-focused distribution requirements, according to the statement. The operators are also required to have low-income pricing programs for qualified residents.

A city official was unable to say how much the rentals will cost. The city is not funding the program.

Minneapolis officials said some of the funding to install the bikes and scooters comes from Nice Ride and Lyft, which canceled its bike share program when they were unable to fill a $2 million funding gap after its sponsorship contract with Blue Cross and Blue Shield of Minnesota ended last year.