ONE OF the bicycles provided as part of Dublin’s new rental scheme has been stolen from the person who hired it, while two others have not been returned by their users.
A Dublin City Council spokesman said the stolen bicycle was on hire at the time of the theft last weekend.
“The bikes come with cable locks enabling people who rent them to lock them to places other than the available bike stands,” the spokesman explained, adding “the person who had rented the bike had it locked to a lamp post when it was stolen”.
Two other bicycles hired on a 72-hour ticket were not returned within the required timeframe, the spokesman said, adding “these are the first remotely serious incidents that have happened since the launch earlier this month”.
Labour councillor Andrew Montague, who first proposed the scheme five years ago, said: “I’m very disappointed a bike has been stolen from the scheme, it’s a shame . . . the scheme is very secure but it’s not foolproof.”
Commenting on the bicycles that had not been returned, he said “people often don’t realise that the bikes have to be returned at a certain time, it could be a case that they kept them overnight not knowing”.
Under the scheme, all users must give a €150 guarantee using either a credit card or a bank draft, which is taken if the bicycle is not returned.
The scheme, which was launched earlier this month, has already had “in and around 10,000 long- and short-term” subscribers, of which more than 7,000 had registered for long-term hire cards, according to the council spokesman.
“If anything the scheme is too successful,” Mr Montague added.
The council has 450 bicycles available from 40 stations between the Royal and Grand canals. Cyclists can register online for annual membership.