Covering the cost of stolen bikes seems to be common sense, so charging €150 for a €500 bike seems nuts to me. But then I'm surprised at the amount of thefts anyway, considering law enforcement ought to be able to track you down based on credit card data. Don't tell me people actually steal credit cards just to steal a funny-looking bike with presumably zero resale value.
On the other hand, all of that presumably wouldn't solve the vandalism problem: you don't have to put in your credit card before you destroy a bike. I've never attempted to vandalise a rentable bike in Vienna, but they don't look THAT sturdy. I suspect the people who vandalised bikes at my school would've had no trouble. Which leaves me to conclude what the article hints at: it must be a social/cultural problem.
On the other hand, all of that presumably wouldn't solve the vandalism problem: you don't have to put in your credit card before you destroy a bike. I've never attempted to vandalise a rentable bike in Vienna, but they don't look THAT sturdy. I suspect the people who vandalised bikes at my school would've had no trouble. Which leaves me to conclude what the article hints at: it must be a social/cultural problem.