x
Breaking News
More () »

E-scooter brake lines found cut by vandals in Louisville

E-scooter companies are calling for Louisville Metro Police to investigate reports of vandalism after brake lines were found cut.

LOUISVILLE, Ky. — E-scooter companies are calling for Louisville Metro Police to investigate reports of vandalism.

Lime and Bird confirm almost a dozen e-scooters were damaged and had to be removed.

"When I need to get to work like 30 minutes before it's convenient," Malik Gomez said who hops on a Lime every day. "It's easier to use instead of taking a cab."

Lime removed almost a dozen scooters from the streets within the last three weeks after someone cut the brake lines.

"It's a little frustrating because I try to treat them as well as I can because I know it's a service offered to us," Gomez said. 

RELATED: E-Scooters: What’s the economic impact?

RELATED: Lime says it recalled some scooters over fears the battery could catch on fire

When the damages were discovered, both of the companies removed the impacted scooters. Bird could not confirm how many of its scooters were ruined.

"This is my first time on a scooter and I'm not even from Louisville so that would have totally discouraged me had I known that prior," visitor to Louisville, Monique Sparks said. 

Louisville is home to three different e-scooter brands -- Lime, Bird, and Bolt. The first fleet arrived in August 2018. Since then, the city said scooters have hit about 200,000 rides total.

While Lime and Bird are working to fix the damaged scooters, in a statement, the companies said vandalism of any kind is unacceptable and is taken very seriously. 

Lime and Bird said if you see a scooter that looks like it has been tampered with or vandalized, your immediate reaction should be to contact their 24/7 customer service team. You can do so by using the app or sending an email. 

Contact reporter Senait Gebregiorgis at SGebregior@whas11.com and follow her on Twitter and Facebook. 

►Make it easy to keep up-to-date with more stories like this. Download the WHAS11 News app now. For Apple or Android users. 

Have a news tip? Email assign@whas11.com, visit our Facebook page or Twitter feed.

Before You Leave, Check This Out