M-1 Rail

M-1 Rail, which operates the Q Line in Detroit, MI, clipped the lock to my bicycle and took it as it was fixed to the railing to one of their stations, on the sidewalk. This occurred on 18FEB20 in front of Hop Cat, located on 4265 Woodward ave in Detroit, MI. It was not in anyway obstructing the movement of the actual tram, and I was only in there for about 45 minutes, eating lunch.

The only reason I found out about this was because the staff at Hop Cat asked one of the maintenance crew that was doing it, who they were. Otherwise I would have thought it was stolen. There were no signs indicating that I was doing anything wrong, and if there were I wouldn't have locked it to the station.

I contacted the police department to file a report and they told me they couldn't take any action until I confirmed that M-1 Rail had my bicycle. I called their offices twice during normal work hours, leaving messages both times, and received no response. I left an email on their website, waited 6 business days, and again received no response.

I had to go directly to their office to find out whether they had my bicycle. They did, and gave it back to me, making me sign a release, which I did. They did not replace my clipped bicycle lock. It's probably in the garbage somewhere.

If the staff at Hop Cat had not caught the maintenance staff stealing my bicycle I would never have known. The police department would likely have been unable to do anything, and I would not have gotten my bicycle back.