We have been hard at work getting everything in place to launch Minneapolis’ first cargo bike library on April 1st. We are excited to share a bit more about our program.
Mission & Vision
Our goal is to expand access to cargo bikes in Minneapolis, to ensure more residents can experience and explore the potential of using bikes for transportation. We envision a city where residents are able to replace more car trips with bike trips thanks to increased knowledge, skills and access to cargo bikes.
Who
The Minneapolis Cargo Bike Library is a community-run partnership between the Bicycle Alliance of MN, Cyclehoop and the Lyndale Neighborhood Association with support from the MetropolitanCouncil.
Participant Requirements
- Be a Minneapolis resident, age 18+.
- Complete the 1 hour in-person orientation with BikeMN.
- Sign a waiver.
- Have a place to lock the bike (garage, indoors, fenced backyard or bike parking near your home) & commit to locking up the bike & removing the battery (to take with you) at all times you aren’t riding it. We will provide you with a lock.
- Agree to pick up and drop off your rental at the designated time, fully charged, and with all accessories (charger, keys, lock, panniers, etc.).
Our Bikes
Our bike library is starting very small with just 3 bikes (and couple more in the works – stay tuned for details on that!). You can learn more about our current bikes here: mplscargobikelibrary.com/bikes
Rental Logistics
We’ve experienced overwhelming (& exciting!) demand. To ensure we can get bikes out as efficiently as possible, we will be managing rentals in the following way:
Once you’ve completed the required orientation you will be able to book a rental by creating an account on our website & booking a bike for the week that works for your schedule. Rentals will generally be picked up on Saturdays at 1:00 PM and will be due back Thursday evenings by 7:00PM. This will allow us to streamline scheduling logistics and ensure our volunteer can efficiently get bikes checked in and ready for the next rental.
We know this schedule and these requirements won’t accommodate everyone’s needs and we appreciate your patience with us as we work to launch this pilot program. We hope to identify funding to expand and meet more needs across the city in the coming months and years.
Support our Work
If you ‘d like to support our work, you can:
– make a donation to support our library (via BikeMN)
–contact us if you have an electric cargo bike to donate, or ideas/opportunities.
-subscribe to our newsletter (bottom right corner of our website) and follow us on Bluesky.
Thank to you everyone who has supported us already. We are so excited to open our bookings on April 1st and increase cargo bike access for Minneapolis residents.
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