Electric bikes guzzle half of UK’s food delivery share
As the nation increasingly turns to the home instead of the restaurant for satisfy its food urges, stats have revealed the part that key role eBikes have been playing.
Hot food deliveries are now reportedly more popular than dining in or takeaway, representing a significant shift. For restaurants that offer the option of ordering via a food app, takeaway or dining in, nearly half of all orders (45%) were made on apps. Only a third (31%) opted to venture to a restaurant and one quarter (24%) chose a takeaway.
And how did those orders make their way to Great British homes? 48% were by delivery workers using eBikes, while a third (33%) were by e-scooter delivery.
IAM RoadSmart, which undertook the research (208 restaurants took part), pointed out that road safety – possibly not a priority for restaurants in yesteryear – should now be factored into business priorities. IAM RoadSmart found that one in five restaurants don’t offer any road safety training at all – primarily because many of the workers are not directly employed.
That point emphasises current cycling industry concerns that a proportion of the eBikes being ridden for food deliveries are not road legal for the UK. Industry bodies and the likes of the eBike Positive campaign have stressed the importance of consumers buying, charging and riding safe on eBikes, while the freshly launched BA Safety Register lists a presumably growing number of electric bike brands that have signed up to and passed a rigorous audit of quality processes and policies.
It has been speculated that cycling logistics players like Zedify passed into administration earlier this year in the face of competition from operators happy to overlook the legality of delivery practices to cut costs and offer lower prices to businesses. While there’s a hugely positive story that electric bikes are becoming a delivery method of choice, enforcement of already existing legislation may help guide this potentially exciting market growth along robust and sustainable lines.
Image by GinniDeville from Pixabay
