Unfortunately, missing bikes are not uncommon in Maastricht (or in the Netherlands, for that matter). Usually when bikes go missing, one of two things has happened: either the municipality has taken your bike because it was parked incorrectly, or it was stolen.
Bike removal by the municipality
If you park your bike in the incorrect place for a long period of time, the Maastricht Gemeente (municipality) will remove it and take it to the bike depot. If your bike is gone, it may very well have ended up there. You can check if this is the case on lostandfound – just type ‘bike in Maastricht’ into the search function. If your bike shows up, then it will be at the municipal bike depot. Once you’ve made sure it’s there (and it will only be there if it shows up on lostandfound), then you can retrieve your bike from the depot on Mondays between 09:00 and 17:00. The location is Sint Gerardusweg 39, 6224 LV Maastricht. You will have to pay a fee of €50 in order to collect it. This fee is only payable via PIN/debit card.
The municipality will require proof that you actually own the bike you’re trying to recover from the depot. This doesn’t necessarily have to be a photo or the serial number, but could also be the bike’s keys, a receipt or a proof of sales agreement.
Stolen bikes
The other (most likely) option is that your bike has unfortunately been stolen. If the municipality has not picked up your bike and the circumstances are suspicious, then we recommend that you always file a report at the police station or online. Try to gather as much proof as possible that you own the bike. However, you should know that the rate of stolen bikes returned to their true owners is sadly quite low.
In case you witnessed a bike being stolen, you should also file a report with the police online. This page provides more information about bike theft and you can also check this Facebook group for more information and discussions about bike thefts in and around Maastricht. If you want to learn more about preventing bike theft in Maastricht, check out our page on bike storage and security.
No longer need your bicycle? Click here to give your bike a second life
Please don’t just abandon your bike somewhere, creating nuisance for the city! If you can’t sell your bike to someone else you can pick up a label from your university’s reception desk. Hang the label on your bike and leave it at one of the drop off locations in Maastricht: Tapijn A, Randwyck building UNS50 or UM Sports. Posifiets will pick up your bike. You can also arrange for the Fietsbank to collect your bike from your home and either give it to someone in need or recycle it. Call them on +31 (0)6 13841971.
