CHARLOTTE, N.C. — New bike-share companies have popped up, puzzling people who have spotted bicycles that appear to have been abandoned on sidewalks all around Charlotte.
"They all just kind of showed up here one day,” resident Taylor Krugh said as he looked at one of the bicycles outside a brewery in Plaza Midwood.
It's an odd sight, but it's quickly becoming commonplace, as new bike-share companies drop "dockless" bikes around the city.
The bikes sparked curiosity and many questions.
"Is somebody going to like put something out there where they can say how you use them or what they're here for?" Krugh asked.
The bikes are everywhere in and around uptown. Channel 9 downloaded the apps for a few of the companies -- VBikes, LimeBike and Spin. The apps tell people how to rent a bike.
All the bicycles have GPS on them. When a person finds one, they can scan a code on the bike, it unlocks and the bicyclist is off.
To get started, all the apps ask for a phone number, permission to track your location and a credit card number -- most advertise a dollar per half-hour.
But there are still many questions about the bikes.
Vicky Blanchard, who was waiting for a bus on Central Avenue, saw a bike parked next to her bus stop. "I'm kind of wondering how they keep somebody from stealing them. That's my biggest question,” Blanchard said.
Charlotte Department of Transportation had to create an ordinance to manage all the new bikes.
The ordinance includes several rules for where the bikes can and cannot be parked. For example, they can't be parked on sidewalks less than 6 feet wide or right next to a bus stop.
Channel 9 found out that whoever parked the bike next to Blanchard's bus stop broke both of those rules.
LimeBike Response:
At the end of a ride, the LimeBike app shows riders where and how to park responsibly, encouraging them to park in designated areas, near the furniture zone of sidewalks or near bike racks. Our goal is for LimeBike to become a part of the city, where locals and visitors take care of and look after the bikes that are serving their community on a daily basis.
We have an on-the-ground Charlotte local operations team, who is constantly monitoring the bikes to ensure they are parked responsibly and distributed properly. For any parking issues, the bikes' GPS location and mapping technology allows our local team to immediately locate any bikes that need attention.
We have a built-in app reporting feature that allows riders to report bikes that are irresponsibly parked, out of network, or require maintenance, which helps us to respond right away and be responsive to the communities we serve. We are also the only American smart bike-share service with this in-app reporting feature.
We also have a 24/7 customer service team available through the app, email, and phone. We've heard from many riders that they prefer LimeBike to other services because we provide the best ride experience and have superior customer service. Our 24-hour customer support satisfaction rating outperforms the national average with 96 percent of riders reporting being satisfied with their customer experience.
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