https://www.costco.com/jetson-haze-electric-bike.product.400...
Couldn't we solve this by embedding geo trackers in the bikes? That should make it much easier to catch thieves and make theft much less appealing.
It could also be partially solved by flooding the city with cheap alternatives, like electric bikes that anyone can afford to rent on demand.
I actually wonder how many American city bike share programs have e-bikes by now, if it's most, or only a few.
Here in Amsterdam you can insure an E-Bike for about $10 / month, which is well worth not having to worry about theft.
Around here bike theft is a sport. If they can't get the entire bike, they'll strip every single part off the frame in under 5 minutes.
On top of that, I have quite the emotional attachment to my bike. It means something to me. A cash payout doesn't replace what was lost if it were to be stolen.
Bike insurance is a nice consolation prize if you get ripped off, but it's absolutely in no way a viable solution to the problem of widespread, organized bike theft.
If it's available then they must have good data that theft isn't that bad.