London e-bikes hacked and used for free after viral videos

Social media videos showing how to hack Lime bikes have gone viral

London's public e-bikes are being hacked and used for free, after social media videos showing how to do it went viral, a councillor has said.

Undocked bikes are then dumped in busy streets, with hackers avoiding fines as bikes are untraceable, Westminster City Council's Paul Dimoldenberg said.

The council has called on e-bike firms to crack down on the issue.

Lime bikes says it is "aware" of a "limited issue" and is identifying "hardware solutions".

The council says it receives daily complaints about bikes being abandoned on pavements.

It has called for apps to be improved so that residents and businesses can report badly-parked bikes more easily.

Last month, Lime bikes introduced a minimum £10 fine for anyone who dumped an e-bike in Soho or Covent Garden. 

HumanForest also introduced a £15 fine for irresponsible cyclists, and promised to ban repeat offenders and open a hotline for people to report misplaced bikes. The firm has been approached for comment.

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Westminster City Council is also in discussions with bike companies about creating designated parking bays.

Mr Dimoldenberg, council cabinet member for city management, said: "We're very concerned about the apparent ease with which these bikes can be hacked and essentially used for free.

"There are videos across social media which demonstrate how to hack Lime bikes, and we hope that all dockless bike companies will do more to tackle this.

"If these bikes are hacked, the rider is untraceable and the bikes can simply be dumped with impunity."

A Lime bikes spokesperson said: "We are aware of a limited issue related to unlocked bikes being ridden without any power in London, and have worked to identify hardware solutions to prevent it, which are now being tested.

"We also have other extensive measures in place to prevent our bikes from being tampered with, which includes wheel locks, tamper alarms, and enhanced cybersecurity for our cloud operations system.

No-parking zones

"We're committed to working closely with local councils and organisations to ensure our service is as safe as possible, and we recently worked to introduce increased fines for inconsiderate parking in the Soho and Covent Garden areas starting at £10."

Last year, Westminster City Council began confiscating poorly-parked rented bikes to try and keep the streets clear.

The National Federation for the Blind said that visually impaired people were put off from going to museums and theatres in the capital because of the dangers posed by discarded bikes.

Following discussions with the council, no-parking zones have recently been introduced in a number of key West End locations.

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