Lisbon’s electric bikeshare network is suffering from vandalism and theft.
In the three months between June and August 189 bicycles were stolen, and another 54 targeted by would-be thieves.
Bicycle docking stations were also vandalised. Trouble spots, are the busy areas of Campo Grande, Entrecampos, Cais do Sodré and Jardim de Santos.
PSP police are ‘on the case’, and this week recovered three cycles valued at €2,420, say reports.
Adding to freewheeling woes is the fact that recovered bikes have invariably been damaged and require expensive repairs, or scrapping.
EMEL, the capital’s mobility company, rolled out its GIRA network in 2017. The business – contracted to a company called Órbita – was marketed as a way of making the capital “more accessible, less polluted and less noisy”.
No one seemed to factor in the potential threat from petty criminals which has since seen EMEL rescind Órbita’s contract and launch a new tender.
