A new bike-sharing option unveiled just 10 days ago in Imperial Beach has gotten off to a rough start. Some people have been caught on surveillance camera treating the bikes like trash.
Surveillance video caught one rider slamming down a LimeBike and leaving it right in the middle of the street in Imperial Beach.
One of the users of the new bike sharing program, Julie Willtrout, told NBC 7 she knows this scenario all too well.
"When they don't pay for it themselves, they tend to treat it like it's not theirs. I parked it here for a few minutes and some kids came by and knocked it over," she said.
She's one of many locals who are enjoying this new option.
Riders download the app and find a bike.
"It's powered by a solar panel in the basket which then connects to a battery inside the bike and talks to our database through the lock," said Colin McMahon with LimeBike.
Local
They're everywhere--on street corners, by the beach, wherever the last user left it. When you're done with your ride, you stop paying with just a click.
"All you have to do is press that red button down and it locks the bike," said McMahon.
But the bikes are being damaged by some people--one bike was even thrown off the pier into the ocean. Workers with the bike share program have already been out, repairing and replacing bikes, hopeful people will learn to respect property that is not theirs.
LimeBike told NBC 7, if they catch someone ruining the bikes, they won't be fined because they don't want to take it that far. Instead, their user privileges may be revoked.
So far, LimeBike is only in Imperial Beach here in San Diego, but the company is looking to expand.
It costs $1 for every 30 minutes to ride and you pay through the app.
