Riders who use bike share services in Seattle like LimeBike, Spin, and Ofo, are being warned to test the bikes before riding because someone is cutting the brakes.
The Seattle Department of Transportation sent out the warning Tuesday and said it was notifying the companies involved about the brake vandalisms.
"Rider safety is our top priority," LimeBike said on Twitter. "Cutting the brake lines of a bike is not only an act of vandalism, but also a crime as it puts the lives and safety of others at risk. Our local team is aware of the situation and has been working around-the-clock to ensure that all bikes and brakes are double checked for safety.
Spin said the vandalism of its bikes has been limited, but it is taking steps to ensure safety.
"We also urge our community to report any instances of misconduct, especially those that put our riders' safety at risk," Spin said in a statement.
"Our local team is diligently working to identify and remove any affected bikes from our platform, and we ask all bikeshare riders to inspect the brakes before any ride," Ofo said in a statement.
The bike share companies suggest that before you ride, make sure all wires are intact and squeeze the brakes to make sure there is resistance.
LimeBike added this suggestion.
"If you find any issues with your bike, just park it and hit the 'exclamation' button on the home screen of the LimeBike app, which will immediately notify our local maintenance team to retrieve and inspect it," LimeBike tweeted.
Anyone with information about the vandalism is asked to contact Seattle police at 206-625-5011. Anyone who sees vandalism in progress is asked to call 911.
LimeBike support
1 (888)-LIME-345 (Call or text)
support@limebike.com
Ofo support
Spin support
