Leeds City Council has secured funding for new e-cargo bikes

Local businesses in Leeds can now register their interest to borrow electric-cargo bikes to meet their delivery needs. 

Leeds city council, West Yorkshire Combined Authority and Bradford council have secured funding for 32 new electric-cargo bikes. 

The funding, which is from the Department for Transport and Energy Saving Trust is part of a £2m fund which aims to help businesses and local authorities to purchase cargo bikes in an effort to combat congestion and pollution in city centres. 

E-cargo bikes can also deliver financial savings of up to 90% compared to the cost of running an equivalent commercial vehicle with no fuel tax, MOT, fuel and parking costs.

The trial scheme will allow organisations to experience how e-cargo bikes could provide a cost-effective alternative to cars and vans for heavy, bulky local deliveries.

Each bike allows for up to 40 miles of assisted cycling and has a load capacity of up to 100kg or 900 litres.

Cllr Helen Hayden, Leeds City Council’s executive member for climate change, transport and sustainable development, said: ‘This offer to businesses to trial e-cargo bikes for local delivery solutions could be revolutionary.

‘In March I was fortunate enough to try riding an e-cargo trike. I found it to be easy to do in everyday clothes and, despite a heavy load in the bike box, a really easy ride. The additional 32 e-cargo bikes funded by the grant scheme will allow more businesses in West Yorkshire to ‘try-before-you-buy’.

‘With so many employees continuing to work from home following the pandemic, investing in an e-cargo bike could be far more cost-effective for businesses who operate in and around the city centre without needing to pay for vehicle-related costs and benefit from very little maintenance costs.

‘Its projects like this that will help us achieve our ambitions to be carbon neutral by 2030 as well as our vision of Leeds being a city where you don’t need a car.’

To register interest, businesses can send an email to: ECargoBikeTrials@Leeds.gov.uk.

Photo Credit – supplied