There are now four e-cargo bikes available to hire, for businesses, community groups or individuals to transport goods – and they are free for new users.
Southwark, the first London borough to introduce a community e-cargo bike share scheme, now has bikes available in Lordship Lane, North Cross Road, Walworth Road and Dulwich Village.
The scheme is run by Peddle My Wheels on behalf of Southwark Council. It is similar to a car share scheme but for electric cargo bikes, which can be hired by the minute, or for £2.50 an hour.
All new users get one hour free to start or three hours if they are a business and then the cost of using the scheme is £0.75 per 15 minutes.
The cargo bikes can be used on the road in exactly the same way as e-bikes. They can use the cycle lanes and go anywhere a bicycle can go.
Café and bakery Louie Louie on Walworth Road has just started using the new e-cargo bike.
Chris Greenwood, who runs four Louie Louie cafes around Southwark, said he uses the bikes to deliver baked goods between his main kitchen and bakery in Walworth and the other sites.
“It makes sense to me because everything is within cycling distance of our central kitchen and bakery. When we first looked at it, the cost of a cargo bike was high and we didn’t have secure storage, so we were worried about it being stolen. So instead we now hire cargo bikes when we need them.”
Cllr McAsh said: “Cargo bikes are a great way of transporting goods across the borough – fast, cheap and good for our environment.
“It’s great to see a local business really embrace sustainable ways of transporting goods across the borough.
“As part of our ambitious Streets for People strategy, we’re supporting local businesses to switch to cargo bikes to help improve the air we breathe, reduce congestion and reliance on larger vehicles.”
More details can be found here.