Hopping on a rental bike in downtown Detroit will be easier starting next year with the selection of Chicago-based Shift Transit to provide 420 bikes and 42 stations for the city's first public bike share system.

Detroit Bike Share is scheduled to begin operating next spring, the Detroit Downtown Partnership and the city announced Thursday.

The three-year contract with Shift Transit was approved by Detroit City Council on July 22, DDP spokesman Nady Bilani said. Terms were not released.

The bike share program will provide short-term rental through a network of wireless, solar-powered kiosks planted throughout greater downtown. Shift Transit will provide the city with the equipment and technology from its U.S. equipment provider, PBSC Urban Solutions, which is based in Quebec, Canada.

The program is the result of a 2013 feasibility study done by the Wayne State University's Office of Economic Development, said Lisa Nuszkowski, executive director of Detroit Bike Share, an affiliate of DDP. Originally, the program was going to offer city riders 350 rental bikes and 35 stations, "but because of Shift Transit's competitive pricing, we were able to purchase additional bikes and stations," she said.

In November 2015, the DDP said the program was expected to cost $2 million to start and $1 million annually to maintain, but exact costs for the bikes and stations had not been decided pending bids from providers. On Thursday, it declined to provide updated cost estimates.

Nuszkowski said the Detroit bike program will require 10 new full-time employees. This week, Ber-henda Williams was hired as director of community engagement to help manage the program. Funding for her position came from the Knight Foundation.

No taxpayer dollars will be used, the city said. The program will be funded with federal grants, corporate sponsorship and philanthropic dollars, it said.

Shift Transit was selected through a competitive bid process by a team of representatives from the city and DDP. In addition to bicycle design, competitive price and value, and ability to integrate with multiple modes of transit, Shift Transit's team was chosen for its years of experience launching and managing some of the largest and most successful bike share programs in North America, a news release said.

"We are one step closer in providing another option for Detroiters and visitors to make their way around the city," Dan Dirks, director of the Detroit Department of Transportation, said in the release. "Bike share will help expand the reach of not only DDOT's services, but other transit modes as well."

Bike share stations will be located in proximity to other transit, such as DDOT and SMART bus stops, the Detroit People Mover and the M-1 Rail's QLine, to increase the reach of these systems and enable people to travel farther using public transit. Specific station locations have not been determined. In the fall, there will be opportunities for residents, business owners, property owners, visitors and other stakeholders to make suggestions on station locations, as well as find out about membership and pricing options.

Helmet rental is not part of the program, but officials are looking into providing them at low or no cost, Nuszkowski said.

The title sponsor for Detroit Bike Share is Henry Ford Health System/Health Alliance Plan, which made a three-year financial commitment. The amount was not disclosed. It is also receiving support from the Federal Transit Administration, Michigan Department of Transportation, Southeast Michigan Council of Governments, Hudson Webber Foundation, Kresge Foundation and John S. and James L. Knight Foundation.

Detroit-based Detroit Bikes LLC founder Zak Pashak was a candidate for the Detroit bike-sharing program. A May Crain's story reported he was working on the Detroit bid with CycleHop LLC, abike-sharing company based in Santa Monica, Calif.

Other bike borrowing options in Detroit include Quicken Loans Inc.'s program called Zagster for its employees, which it started in 2013. That program allows employees to borrow a cruiser bike and ride it anywhere around the city for 24 hours.

Wheelhouse Detroit, located at Rivard Plaza on Detroit's riverwalk with additional days at Eastern Market, also offers bike rentals and tours.