Cargo bike grants available to London businesses

The Mayor of London’s Air Quality Fund has awarded five London boroughs £180,000 to help businesses make the switch to cargo bikes.

As from today,  businesses based in Westminster, Newham, Tower Hamlets, Hackney and the City of London can apply for grants towards the cost of cargo bikes for deliveries and work travel.

The project is being operated by the Zero Emissions Network, a multiple award-winning air quality business liaison initiative which helps businesses and residents in the five boroughs save money, reduce emissions and improve local air quality. The network, which has over 3,000 resident and business members, offers free advice and services to switch to low emission transport with the goal of making the area a better place to live, work and visit.

Orginally focussed on Hackney and Tower Hamlets, where it was helping nearly 100 businesses – including electricians, florists and hairdressers – switch to cargo or e-bikes in, the network recently expanded to incorporate the City of London, Westminster and Newham.

The new funding will also allow an expansion of its cargo bike share scheme, where bikes are available to rent by the minute from local docking stations.

The Zero Emissions Network has also been awarded a further £704,000 by the Mayor’s Air Quality Fund to develop a number of new projects across the five boroughs, including a pilot to use sustainable transport for last-mile deliveries, business engagement to get more businesses using sustainable transport and running events to encourage people to reduce emissions from transport.

Cllr Shafi Ahmed, Tower Hamlets Cabinet Member for Environment and the Climate Emergency, said: ‘Responding to the climate emergency requires partnership and innovation – two core aspects of this funding which will help businesses reduce carbon emissions by transitioning to low emission cargo bikes.

‘We are looking forward to working with our neighbouring boroughs to deliver this grant funding and supporting local businesses with the transition to a more affordable and sustainable way of doing deliveries and travelling.”

Previous grant recipient Lloyd Morgan, of local business London Locks, said: ‘Hands down the best transport we’ve ever purchased as a business. we can carry more, faster, and greater than ever. It’s been revolutionary! It honestly makes me so happy.’