After approximately ten thousand two-wheelers of the City and Mini types were previously recalled, another 12,000 bicycles are now being recalled. The safety of the commonly used model, the City Mountain (production before January 2020) cannot be guaranteed. The Slim Mountain & Transporter and the Pro Trike (both the electric and non-electric variant), Trike-E, Pro Trike XL Motor are also part of the recall. The first models will be picked up in the Netherlands and Germany in mid-April, followed by other countries.
‘No cycling for the time being’
The advice ‘not to cycle on them for the time being’ still applies to the majority of Babboe cargo bikes. NVWA spokesperson Bjorn Elsebrock: “They still have to provide the technical substantiation of the safety of those bicycles within the recall and we still have to assess it. Which is annoying for many people, because there is still no clarity.”
Breaking frames
Research by RTL Nieuws previously showed that Babboe cargo bikes break quite regularly. This poses a danger to the riders of the bicycles and the children in the box. As a result of the investigation, several cargo bike fathers and mothers reported problems with Babboe.
Babboe is said to have not properly investigated the causes in the past and not to have taken any measures, and the Dutch cargo bike manufacturer is also said to have deliberately hidden broken frames for years, RTL News revealed on Thursday. The Dutch Food and Consumer Product Safety Authority (NVWA) is therefore conducting a criminal investigation into Babboe.
Sales ban
The Dutch Food and Consumer Product Safety Authority has already imposed a sales ban on Babboe. She stated that the bicycle manufacturer had taken too little action. This happened about a week after publication of the RTL Nieuws article.
Almost all types have been recalled
Babboe is obliged to carry out a recall for the following types of cargo bikes: Babboe City/City-E/City Mountain, Babboe Curve/Curve-E/Curve Mountain, Babboe Big/Big-E, Babboe Dog/Dog-E, Babboe Max-E, Babboe Mini-E/ Mini Mountain, Babboe Pro Trike/ Trike-E/ Trike XL, Babboe Carve-E/ Carve Mountain. To this day, the advice not to cycle on these bicycles still applies. According to the NVWA, you not only endanger yourself, but also others.
Replacing bicycles that are five years old
All owners of a Babboe cargo bike aged five years or younger that are included in the recall will be offered a new one after collecting their current cargo bike. If they want, they can also opt for an e-bike instead of a cargo bike. This does not apply to all owners of a Babboe cargo bike that is included in the recall, but that is older than five years. They receive a voucher worth the current value and can spend it on another Babboe cargo bike.
Lawyer Quirijn Bongaerts from law firm Birkway, who is considering a mass claim against the cargo bike manufacturer, responds critically: “Where does Babboe suddenly conjure up those bicycles? And what if you have completely lost your confidence in Babboe or have now been forced to buy another cargo bike? Then you shoot.” This proposal makes no sense, because Babboe’s solution assumes that the cyclist stays with Babboe.”
The majority of cargo bikes can go back on the road after maintenance, expects Babboe director Gerard Feenema. According to him, the implementation of the recall operation will take a lot of time. “We understand that this is inconvenient for our customers, and we have done our best to find a suitable solution and compensate them.”
Years of deception
Cargo bike manufacturer Babboe has for years misled the Dutch Food and Consumer Product Safety Authority (NVWA) about how big the problem of breaking cargo bikes was. In this way, frames were deliberately hidden. This is evident from photos, audio recordings, documents and conversations with former employees. The supervisor is furious and is conducting a criminal investigation into Babboe together with the Public Prosecution Service.
Photos of that moment show an employee dressed in a black sweater with the capital letters BABBOE on it lifting part of a frame into the cargo area of a white bus. Behind that bus is another smaller, black van.
According to several employees, that van was also fully loaded and then placed further away on the site. A colleague confirms: “We had to empty the entire workshop. We loaded those frames into a van and the old iron bin as well. Everything that the NVWA was not allowed to see was hidden and that worked out well.”
