• Zron@lemmy.world
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      9 days ago

      I didn’t know you could use cash for rental bikes.

      All the ones in Chicago need the app in order to rent them.

      • Nougat@fedia.io
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        9 days ago

        Could you do it with a burner phone and load the app from a Visa gift card? Rent and place the city bike around the corner, do the deed, drop the phone (whether on accident or on purpose), take off on the bike.

          • Nougat@fedia.io
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            9 days ago

            That might be tough, since the cardholder is on the hook for the bike. I know I wouldn’t do that for a stranger in NYC.

            • Glytch@lemmy.world
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              9 days ago

              Some reports are saying it wasn’t a rental bike, but it was the same e-bike model that the city’s rental service uses, likely paid for with cash.

              • Nougat@fedia.io
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                9 days ago

                That would be something - buying a whole-ass e-bike to escape from your murder scene with. Interesting, too, that that bike hasn’t been found yet, which means he didn’t ditch it anywhere nearby, if at all.

                • Infynis@midwest.social
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                  9 days ago

                  Probably why he had an e-bike. Fast, silent, small, and easy to ride long distances compared to a normal bike, or a car in New York. Definitely helps that you can buy them for cash, without a license, and often person-to-person second hand

                  • AlligatorBlizzard@sh.itjust.works
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                    9 days ago

                    And there’s a lot of ebikes on the used market that were stolen in the first place. I’ve been trying to buy an ebike for a while and it’s something that’s on my mind while shopping used. So the seller is even more incentivized to keep their mouth shut.

      • MutilationWave@lemmy.world
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        7 days ago

        Businesses in NYC love cash. Shops everywhere have discounts for paying in cash. There are ATMs everywhere with $1 or less fee.