Faced with the rush of delivery vans in major US cities, the startup URB-E is equipping delivery drivers with cargo bikes so they can transport their orders faster and without pollution.
Currently deployed in New York and Los Angeles, this initiative aims to simplify fast delivery, known as the ‘last mile’. By replacing the classic delivery vans, these cargo bikes are a lot more practical.
The advantage of the cargo bike is multiple. Firstly, it avoids traffic jams by using cycle paths, which are becoming more and more numerous. Then it reduces the CO2 emissions to the air well. With this type of transport, a single driver can move up to 360 kg of goods and thus deliver an entire district. Although not specifically designed for this, the containers can also be used for insulated cooler bags to protect fresh produce. Finally, from a logistical point of view, a single bicycle and about twenty folded containers can fit in one parking space on their own.
Long specialized in electric scooters, URB-E now focuses on the rental of cargo bikes, supported and partly financed by the UBS group. At a time when the streets of major cities are filled with various delivery vans, the California startup is trying to solve the problem of urban congestion and the resulting emissions. Currently there are only about fifty of these bikes in circulation, but the startup wants to quickly multiply this number by ten.
Although there will always be heavy and cumbersome deliveries, which of course require a van, most can now be carried out with a simple cargo bike. At least that is what URB-E is trying to prove.
(ETX Daily Up)