Velib is facing a severe theft problem, losing over 600 bicycles weekly and currently missing 3,000 from a fleet of 20,000. Recent thefts have nearly tripled, overwhelming the system. Vandals are proficiently removing bikes from stands and abandoning them after a day, as the bikes lack GPS tracking. This shortage is causing difficulties for users, as the remaining bicycles are overused and in poor condition, leading to entire stations having unusable bikes due to battery issues of electric bicycles. Velib's ridership continues to increase despite these challenges, with a 16% rise noted in figures from May compared to last year.
At the moment, we're missing 3,000 bikes, out of the fleet of some 20,000 regular and electric bicycles, said Sylvain Raifaud, head of the Agemob company that operates the Velib system.
We don't know where the bikes are, they don't have GPS chips, Raifaud told AFP. He appealed for local authorities to help find the bikes.
The remaining bikes are being used much more and are more worn out, said Raifaud. That also meant the batteries of electric bikes did not have enough time to recharge.
This has resulted in entire stations with unusable bikes, leaving, users very frustrated, he added.
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