Lyft pulling all e-bikes off Bay Area streets after two burst into flames

The responding officer of the SF Fire Department determined that the battery was the contributing factor to the fire. The responding officer of the SF Fire Department determined that the battery was the contributing factor to the fire. Photo: Zach Rutta Via Twitter Photo: Zach Rutta Via Twitter Image 1 of / 33 Caption Close Lyft pulling all e-bikes off Bay Area streets after two burst into flames 1 / 33 Back to Gallery

Bursting into flames is something you don't want on your morning commute.

Lyft has announced it is temporarily making its fleet of Bay Wheels e-bikes "unavailable" while it investigates and updates battery technology.

The e-bikes will be pulled from San Francisco, Oakland, and San Jose.

The move is in response to two incidents in San Francisco this week of e-bikes catching on fire. One caught fire on July 31, docked near Page and Scott streets. Another was photographed and tweeted on July 27 after it was found at Folsom and Second Streets.

"Out of an abundance of caution, we are temporarily making the ebike fleet unavailable to riders while we investigate and update our battery technology," stated a Lyft spokesperson.

The spokesperson also said "it's unclear whether the bikes and batteries were tampered with or vandalized," as the company has noticed "increased rates of vandalism" on their San Francisco bikes.

"It is unfortunate that this incident occurred and we are currently monitoring the situation," said SFMTA spokesperson Erica Kato in a statement, "We encourage Lyft to put customer safety first."

Kato continued, "We have an inquiry into Lyft as to the circumstances surrounding this incident as well as to how they intend to prevent any future fires and ensure the safety of customers and the ongoing operability of the bikesharing system."

Lyft declined to specify how the investigation of the e-bikes' technology will be carried out.

"Bikeshare is an important part of the SF transportation system," said Kato. "The agency is working to ensure that our residents can consistently rely on the safety and availability of bikes."

Isabela Angus is an SFGATE editorial intern. Email: isabela.angus@sfgate.com