Bikes for Business project extended to March 2023

Bikes for Business has now been extended to March 2023, with MP Smarter Travel, a sustainable transport consultancy based in Southwark, chosen to deliver the project.

Bikes for Business works with businesses across all industries to help them buy their own cargo bikes or use cargo bike operators to make their deliveries and collections. Businesses receive expert advice and one-off subsidies from the project to help with the switch to cargo bikes. To date, businesses who have participated in the project include architecture firms, food charities, artisanal breweries, advertising companies just to name a few.

First launched in 2018 by Team London Bridge, to help their members adopt more sustainable deliveries, in 2021 the project was expanded in partnership with Better Bankside and multiple other Business Improvement Districts (BIDs) to help businesses all along the Low Line in SE1, SE16 and SE17 to use cargo bikes in their operations.

Due to the success of the project, and in-line with participant feedback, Bikes for Business has been extended to March 2023 and the subsidy payments have been updated.

• Up to £1,000 off a cargo bike purchase (up from £700 previously)
• 50% off cargo bike services, up to a maximum £300 subsidy (up from £250 previously)

The cargo bike trial period has also been extended from 1 month to 2 months to help businesses make the most of their deliveries and the subsidy available.

Benefits

Businesses who bought their own cargo bike have reaped a number of benefits including cost-savings, more efficient deliveries, higher levels of staff satisfaction and wellbeing, fewer parking fines, more satisfied customers and being more sustainable.

• 91% rated their overall experience of their cargo bike as either ‘4 out of 5’ or ‘5 out of 5’.

“Since getting our cargo bike, we’ve not had to use public transport or our cars. Recently, we cycled to a meeting from London to the Kent/Surrey border and cycled back, without any problems or delays. Having a cargo bike really transforms how we travel and helps making more trips like that a possibility.” notes James Roach, Architect and Director at Roach Matthews

Those who partnered with a cargo bike courier, the benefits echoed similar themes including time saved due to faster and more reliable deliveries, more satisfied customers and greater sustainability. In addition to this, businesses also found that using a cargo bike improved their brand/image.

• 88% of businesses gave their courier company a ‘5 out of 5’ rating
• 12% giving a rating of ‘4 out of 5’.

Employment opportunities

Cargo bikes aren’t just good for the environment, but for the economy.

The majority of cargo bike operators in London pay a London living wage as well as pay holiday, sick pay and provide benefits, which the gig economy currently doesn’t provide their drivers. This not only ensures workers are paid fairly, but helps to increase staff retention making employees more engaged, happy and productive which inevitably boosts the company’s bottom line.

The University of Westminster’s Active Travel Team, in collaboration with MP Smarter Travel, are currently delivering research into the employment practices of cargo bike operators, identifying best practice and presenting the findings in a guide for all operators in the sector. The research will help ensure the expanding cargo bike industry provides social sustainability alongside its inherent environmental sustainability.

About Bikes for Business

We work with businesses along and around London’s Low Line corridor in Southwark. Bikes for Business seeks to promote cargo bikes as a mainstream solution for business freight in the area.

MP Smarter Travel have been engaged as the delivery partner for the project. Their role is to:

• Raise awareness of cargo bikes;
• Identify and contact businesses that might switch to using cargo bikes;
• Provide advice, support and a subsidy to enable businesses to make the switch.
• Support is available to businesses that either want to purchase their own cargo bike (‘own bike’ route) or switch their deliveries to a courier that uses cargo bikes (‘third party’ route).

Since June 2021, MP Smarter Travel have helped 125 businesses switch to cargo bikes as part of Team London Bridge and Better Bankside’s Bikes for Business programme.

Bikes for Business provides a subsidy as an incentive to make the switch as follows:

• Up to £1,000 off a cargo bike purchase
• Up to 50% off cargo bike services

For more information on Bikes for Business, contact Leigh Gravenor at bikesforbusiness@mpsmartertravel.co.uk or visit https://www.teamlondonbridge.co.uk/bikesforbusiness