Capital Bikeshare is temporarily sidelining its electric bikes after reports of an issue with forceful brakes.

“Out of an abundance of caution, we are proactively removing the electric bikes from service for the time being,” Capital Bikeshare said on Sunday. The black “Plus” bicycles will be replaced with more of the regular red rides.

The system introduced pedal-assisted bikes, which go up to 18 miles per hour when the motor is activated, as a pilot project in September. Last month, Capital Bikeshare said people had taken more than 50,000 rides on the electric bikes and “rider satisfaction reports were high.”

The system began rolling more of the rides, aiming to increase the total from 85 to 500 bikes. Capital Bikeshare also said that it would begin introducing a $1 surcharge for e-bikes on April 15.

Instead, they are taking the bicycles off the street to address reports from riders “who experienced stronger than expected braking force on the front wheel.”

Motivate, the company that operates Capital Bikeshare, was acquired by Lyft last year. It made nearly identical announcements in San Francisco and New York, where it operates Ford GoBike and Citi Bike, respectively.

One rider told the New York Daily News that he broke his hip after trying to stop on a Citi Bike last month. “I tapped the brake and I just went flying,” said Bill Somers, who was hospitalized for four days. “I went over the handlebars and flew like 6 feet in the air.”

Two people responded to Capital Bikeshare’s announcement to say they had also experienced the same brake issue. It’s unclear exactly how many such incidents have been reported.

Lyft, which also operates scooters in D.C., said it has been working on building a new electric bike, one that they promise “will be more fun to ride.”

Previously: 
Capital Bikeshare Rolls Out Electric Bikes