With all manner of delivery vans contributing to congestion in major US cities, a start-up called URB-E is providing cargo bikes to companies so that drivers can make deliveries faster and pollution-free.
Deployed for the moment in New York and Los Angeles, this initiative aims to simplify fast "last mile" delivery logistics. By replacing classic delivery vans, these cargo bikes generally prove to be much more practical.
The start-up's cargo bikes offer various advantages. Firstly, they allow delivery workers to avoid traffic jams by using the increasingly numerous bicycle paths. Secondly, they obviously reduce CO2 emissions into the air. With this type of transportation, a single rider can handle up to 360 kg of goods, and thus deliver items to an entire neighborhood. And, although not specifically designed for this purpose, the cargo bike containers can even accommodate insulated cooler bags to preserve fresh produce.
Finally, from a logistical point of view, a single bicycle and about 20 folded containers alone fit in a single parking space.
Long specialized in electric scooters, URB-E is now turning to cargo bike rentals, supported and partly financed by the UBS Group. At a time when the streets of large cities are clogged with various delivery vehicles, the Californian start-up is seeking to address the problem of urban congestion and the associated emissions. For the moment, only about 50 of these bikes are on the road, but the start-up plans to increase this number tenfold.
While there will always be heavy and cumbersome deliveries, which will obviously require the use of a van, the majority of deliveries can now be made by cargo bike. And URB-E is on a mission to prove it.
