Lyft said it was suspending use of its shared electric bikes in San Francisco after reports of two battery fires.

"Because the safety of our riders is our number one concern, we are temporarily making the e-bike fleet unavailable to riders while we investigate and update our battery technology," Lyft's bike network Baywheels tweeted.

"Thanks to our riders for their patience and we look forward to making e-bikes available again soon."

The suspension came after the San Francisco Examiner reported two batteries in the Lyft bicycles appeared to catch fire over the past week.

Lyft earlier this year rebranded the e-bike fleet under its own name as it expands beyond ride-sharing to other forms of urban transport.

Both Lyft and rival Uber operate bicycle fleets along with electric scooters in many cities, part of an effort to develop alternatives to individual car use.

The incident is the latest report of fires affecting e-bikes and e-scooters whose use has been growing around the world.

rl/to

Lyft

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