"We have recently received a small number of reports from riders who have experienced stronger braking force than expected on the front wheel.For caution, we are proactively removing pedal-assist bikes," the company said. in a blog post.
Approximately 3,000 bicycles will be removed from service and replaced with regular bicycles. In total, Lyft operates about 20,000 bikes in these three cities, with a mix of electric and conventional models.
"After a small number of reports and as a precaution, we are proactively stopping our electric bikes in three markets – safety first," said Lyft spokeswoman Julie Wood on Sunday.
The company said it was "at work on a new pedal-assist bike" and that the model will be rolled out soon.
Last year, Lyft became the largest shared bike operator in the United States after the acquisition of Motivate, owner of Citi Bike in New York and Capital Bikeshare in Washington. This has extended its rental bikes to cities like Chicago, Boston and Portland.
Lyft, which went public in March, has set a goal of ending car ownership, primarily in the United States, with a series of alternative transportation options. In addition to ridesharing and cycling, the company has expanded to carpooling and renting scooters.
The company beat its main rival, Uber, during an IPO. According to its IPO prospectus, Lyft's market share in the US horse racing market climbed to 39% in December 2018, up from 22% at the end of 2016.
Lyft's debut on Wall Street is seen as a sign of success for the long list of billion-dollar tech startups that are expected to be released later this year, including Pinterest, Slack, Postmates. Uber last week filed documents relating to what should be the biggest public offering of the year.
