UPS deploys manual cargo bikes in Toronto

Dive Brief:

With an overload of congestion and traffic jams, UPS is deploying cargo bikes to help reduce pollution in Toronto, The Star reported.
The neighborhood around York University will be the setting for the trial, which will last until weather prevents prevents safe passage for delivery riders.
The decision stems in part from a study that noted 16.4% of the greenhouse gas emission levels originate from trucks and vans. UPS is pushing for government to change regulations in order to ultimately allow it to power its bikes with electricity for uphill climbs and quickly regaining speed after traffic stops.

Dive Insight:

UPS takes its sustainability plan on the road with the expectation that their experiment will solve air pollution and traffic congestion while improving last mile delivery.

UPS has long been on the route to growing sustainability, whether through its solar power initiatives, its investment in decreased emission CNG fuel, or its plan to obtain a minimum of 25% of its total electricity needs from renewable resources by 2025.

Now the logistics giant is expanding its sustainability reach into Canada, where the issue of vehicle pollution is significant. Other delivery companies have already brought out similar bikes in a move to facilitate transport efficiency. DHL is one of the early progenitors of the cargo bike option, having recently completed its pilot program in Frankfurt, Germany and looks to expand their City Hub concept and "Cubicycle" deployment to other cities in Germay.

"As an example, we will begin Cubicycle deliveries shortly in Berlin, as well as deployments of additional Cubicycles and other cargo bikes in the major cities surrounding Frankfurt (example: Mainz, Darnstadt)," DHL Express spokesman Daniel McGrath wrote to Supply Chain Dive. "Each Cubicycle can save an average of eight tons of CO2 per year, as well as saving on other emissions. They also offer flexibility and more stops per hour compared to a van within urban environments, which is useful in particular in areas with heavy congestion."

With last mile delivery competition heating up, and even with old war horse USPS finding new means for delivery innovation, both UPS and DHL are solving multifaceted problems by figuratively re-inventing the (bicycle) wheel.