Viktor MusilNew business models in the freight delivery industry are being made possible by new technologies centered on electronic cargo bikes and logistics software. Bikes are becoming more appealing as both the public and private sectors search for fresh solutions to meet the rising demand for deliveries and the pressure full-size vehicles place on traffic levels and curb management.
The private sector and the carriers are saying,” We want to do this also,” and cities are coming and saying. Ben Morris, CEO and founder of Coaster Cycles, a manufacturer of electric bikes and trikes for last-mile delivery, said,” We’re starting to see that broader collaboration.”
Franklin Jones, CEO and founder of B-line Urban Delivery, a cycle logistics company based in Portland, Oregon, said that infrastructure like little neighborhood hubs, which could be areas with momentary package storage, charging stations, “anything to reduce the commute, and increase the delivery within the small neighborhood,” is being developed where cities can be supportive.
Since 2009, Jones ‘ B-line Urban Delivery has been in operation. It has 12 delivery cargo trikes that primarily serve business-to-business delivery needs, as well as restaurants and retail.
Jones explained at the Micromobility America conference in the San Francisco Bay Area on October 19 that” we’re moving 700 pounds at a time, many times of day, stopping at everything from grocery-retail to breweries, to bakeries to restaurants.” ” We deliver to homes.” Additionally, we collaborate with Office Depot to deliver goods into the city.
The company will undoubtedly gain from doing business in a city with strong micromobility infrastructure because it will be able to deliver goods immediately, effectively, and without emitting any emissions.
” We travel through bike lanes.” We travel on similar paths,” said Jones. We perform a variety of tasks that conventional delivery vehicles simply cannot, which has given us an advantage in the marketplace.
Leaders in the industry claim that as the micro-delivery-vehicle industry gains popularity, logistics firms and cities will need to work together to establish a regulatory framework that recognizes cargo-bike delivery as an authorized logistics line while preserving operator and public safety.
” I believe there needs to be some rules. Stuart Hyden, president and COO of Net Zero Logistics, drew attention to the various levels of regulation the U.S. Department of Transportation and other agencies have placed on delivery vans and similar vehicles, saying,” We’ve seen it for several years, and have constantly saw it.”
And I believe that’s something we need to do as the industry develops, he continued. It’s not cruel, in my opinion, to request a rider or biker have their license. I believe that is significant. I believe it is crucial for the businesses to start licensing themselves.
Hyden emphasized the importance of paying close attention to carrying capacity and how to increase it when he said that businesses looking to enter the bike delivery market” You got to stop thinking like a biker, and start thinking about vans.”
