Babboe ordered to stop selling cargo bikes due to safety risks

Babboe will have to stop selling cargo bikes for the time being by order of The Dutch Food and Consumer Product Safety Authority (NVWA). They concluded after an investigation that hundreds of frames have been broken over the years. Babboe allegedly did not properly investigate the causes and took no measures.

According to the NVWA, Babboe should have reported the defects themselves, but the company did not do so. "With that, they broke the law," said a spokesperson for the regulator. The Babboe cargo bikes will only be allowed to be sold again when the company proves that the bicycles are safe. "The bad thing is that they have run great risks with the safety, not only of adults but also of children. This could have led to serious accidents, especially in big cities. As far as we know, that did not happen, but they took major risks," the NVWA said.

Babboe has to recall most of the models. The NVWA says it pertains to "cargo bikes with serious risks, but that is nearly all of them."

The bicycle brand, part of the Accell group, has said in a statement that they will discuss the issue with the NVWA. "To ensure that the requested information is delivered as quickly as possible so sales can be restarted."