New Ecobici fleet will use GPS to deter theft after 17% of bikes were lost or damaged

Every bicycle in Mexico City’s renewed Ecobici system will carry GPS, a change intended to make the fleet harder to steal and easier to track.

The expanded system will include 15,000 bicycles. Government Head Clara Brugada said only one in 10 current Ecobici bicycles has a satellite locator, but the new contract will extend the technology across the entire fleet.

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Currently, only one in 10 bicycles has a satellite locator. Under the new contract, all 15,000 bicycles will have this technology.

Mobility Secretary Héctor Ulises García said 17% of the bicycles are currently out of service. That represents 1,668 bikes that are either stolen or damaged. He also said the new units will feature 26-inch wheels, anodized aluminum components, stainless-steel spokes, durable tires and an adjustable handlebar.

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Seventeen percent of the bicycles are out of service at this moment. Stolen and damaged, they total 1,668.

The system will use more than GPS. Officials plan to analyze bicycle journeys and produce heat maps showing where trips are most concentrated. The mobility department will use that information to identify areas with the greatest demand and decide where to expand infrastructure or increase Ecobici’s presence.

García described the new bicycles as among the best available internationally and said they were being brought in for Mexico City residents.

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They are the best available on the market internationally, and that is what is being brought here: the best for the people of Mexico City.