TikTok videos showing how to hack Lime bikes sees council call for crackdown

By Adrian Zorzut, Local Democracy Reporter

London’s dockless bikes are being hacked and used for free after TikTok videos showing how it is done have gone viral.

The bikes are then dumped in busy London streets and, because they’re untraceable, the hackers are able to avoid being fined.

But one central London council is calling for e-bike companies to crack down on the problem.

Westminster City council said it receives daily complaints about dockless bikes being abandoned on the pavement across the borough.

The council has called for apps to be improved so residents and businesses can report badly-parked bikes more easily and comes as discussions between itself and bike companies about creating designated parking bays are ongoing.

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

Rivals 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.

Westminster councillor Paul Dimoldenberg said: “The council receives daily complaints about dockless e-bikes being dumped on the pavement, particularly in areas like Soho where the streets are narrow and pedestrians are potentially put in danger.

“We’re also 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.”

Last year Westminster City council started confiscating poorly-parked rented bikes to try and keep the streets clear.

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

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

A Lime bikes spokesman 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.”

Pictured top: A Lime Bike dumped in a busy London street (Picture: Westminster City council)