A federally funded initiative to increase biking and walking and reduce driving in Minneapolis and neighboring communities has announced the selection of Public Bike System Company (PBSC), to supply bikes and kiosks to Minneapolis for a bike-sharing program allowing customers to rent bicycles from self-service kiosks.
PBSC developed the 5,000-bike Montreal BIXI bike-share system, which launched last year.
The first phase of Minneapolis' bike-share plan calls for 1,000 bikes in 80 kiosks around the downtown area, the University of Minnesota Twin Cities campus and surrounding commercial districts. When the program launches in June organizers expect to have at least 65 bike-share kiosks in place.
Minneapolis joins Boston and London in selecting the BIXI equipment as the best for an urban bike-share system, and Nice Ride Minnesota, the new non-profit created to bring public bike sharing to Minneapolis, expects to finalize a contract with the PBSC soon, according to a release from the organization.
