MINNEAPOLIS — A bike share program is leaving the city of Minneapolis, but wants to leave a little something behind to maintain the mission.
The Minneapolis City Council is set to vote Monday whether to accept a gift from Lyft Bikes and Scooters LLC and Nice Ride Minnesota that would officially transfer ownership of 244 lightweight locking stations so residents could secure their two-wheelers.
From 2010 to 2018 Nice Ride operated the city's bike share program, with Lyft stepping in to run the operation using Nice Ride equipment from 2018 to 2022. Earlier this month Lyft announced the program would not return to Minneapolis for the spring and summer of 2023, after losing its main sponsor, Blue Cross Blue Shield.
"Since losing the presenting sponsor, we have worked tirelessly to find a new sponsor but have not been successful. We will continue to work with our local partners to look for opportunities to provide service again in the future," Lyft said in a released statement.
Pulling out of Minneapolis means moving and/or disposing of plenty of equipment: Among it, 244 powder coated bike and scooter racks that have been deployed in various locations around the city for the past two years. The racks were originally valued at $1,300 each, and currently have a depreciated value of $883 per rack. Lyft and Nice Ride want to donate them to the city, to be used as part of the city's ongoing shared mobility program, which involves using bikes or scooters in conjunction with public transportation like bus or light rail.
The city council is set to vote during its meeting Monday at 1:30 p.m. on whether to accept the donated racks.
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