ECF has been talking a lot recently about transporting goods by bicycle.  This is not about couriers on fixies tackling the streets to deliver packages. Instead the the cyclelogistics project wants to see goods transportation by bicycle move out of its niche market position. The project reports that "25% of all [transport-related] trips could be shifted from motorized vehicles towards cycling-related solutions". 

We spoke to Rob King,  one of our partners in the EU-funded cyclelogistics project. He is the co-founders of "outspoken delivery", a cycle courier service in Cambridge which uses cargo bicycles to deliver goods. He told us how he came to use pedal power to deliver goods. 

Q. Where did you get the idea to start doing deliveries by bicycle?

I used to be an expedition leader and alongside my brother, we loved doing adventures getting plenty of fresh air. We wanted to start a business which was based outdoors and that would be fun and contribute to making Cambridge a more pleasant place to live and work. Neither of us had any particular cycling experience, although as a school boy I cycled from Land's End to John O'Groats, a 1,400 kilometre journey from the most southerly to the most northerly points of the UK.

Q.  Tell us more about the cargo bikes you use to run the business

Right at the start we researched the availability of suitable bikes able to carry loads and came across Mike Burrows who famously designed the Lotus time trial bike used by Chris Boardman to win a gold medal at the 1992 Barcelona Olympics.  Mike subsequently developed the 8Freight; a dynamic, light and fast cargo bike which at just under 3 metres long is capable of carrying up to 60kg in weight in a specially designed aluminium box. We currently have a fleet of five 8Freight bikes and will shortly be expanding this with three Cycles Maximus trikes capable of carrying up to 250kg.

Q. What sort of items do you carry in your cargo bikes?

Over 85% of our deliveries consist of papers, small packages and boxes. The remaining 15% covers everything from antibodies in test tube vials to pharmacy prescriptions, legal papers, laptops, flowers, and lunchtime food deliveries. We also work on a sub-contract basis for a major international delivery company moving cheques between branches of a well known UK bank.

Q. What sort of volumes can a company like yours transport on a daily basis?

On a typical day we are doing around 70 deliveries. We have calculated that our 9 couriers are cycling over 7,800 kms per month which is in excess of 93,600 kms per year. A typical motorised van with fuel consumption of 12.32 km/l, would use over 7,600 litres per year doing the same distance, which is equivalent to burning over 14 tonnes of CO2. So even as a modest sized business, we can have a sizeable impact on the environment.

Q.  How much money can your customers potentially save using your services rather than a motorised van?

To deliver an A4 box from one end of Cambridge to the other, a distance of approximately 3kms, would cost approximately €4. The same journey undertaken by a van based courier would cost around €10 so potentially very large savings. In a congested City like Cambridge we are normally much faster than a van too.

Our charging structure is based around speed of delivery (ie the more urgent the delivery the higher the price) and the size of the package. The above example is for small non-urgent loads. We charge a premium for the really urgent items because bicycles are the only form of transport that can confidently guarantee time-critical deliveries.

We also provide an express service to London (80km) where we utilize the train and use a folding bike for collection and delivery at either end. This is by far the quickest way into central London and on Friday afternoon, at peak congestion, we can deliver in just 90 minutes; not even a motorbike can get close to this.

6. What has been the biggest barrier to getting people to use your services?

The biggest challenge has been persuading potential customers that it is both feasible and possible to transport items and goods by bicycle. Despite Cambridge having an established cycling culture where bikes are used for commuting and leisure purposes, many people have a preconceived idea of a cycle courier.

We have worked very hard to break this stereotype. All our couriers are well presented and wear branded but comfortable clothing for cycling. We also actively take our cargo bikes to potential customers so that they can see how their items will be transported in a secure, weather tight box.

7. Do you think there's a future for moving goods by bicycle?

Despite some vast improvements in recent years, cycling is still not seen as a serious transport option in many areas. But for congested city centres, the bicycle is proving it can offer a multitude of benefits. The European Unionhave got wind of this and are putting their weight behind it. The question they want answered is, could there be a new position within logistics for the humble bicycle? The cyclelogistics project has come together with the aim of reducing energy use by getting more freight bikes doing the sort of deliveries that many of us are used to doing by car or van. Outspoken Delivery, was asked to be a project partner through our experience as one of the largest cycle courier operations in theUK.

8. What are your plans for the future of the business?

The natural progression for the business is to develop a next day delivery operation in conjunction with one or more leading national/international delivery companies (eg. TNT, DHL, UPS, etc), where cargo bikes are used for the final mile delivery. The delivery company will drop-off their cargo at the Outspoken depot each morning and high capacity cargo trikes we have just purchased, will be used for the final leg of the delivery journey. This has huge potential at removing unnecessary vans from central Cambridge and could easily become a model throughout the UK and beyond.

About Outspoken Delivery

Outspoken Delivery, located in Cambridge (UK) ,run a cycle courier service using specially designed cargo bikes delivering small and medium sized packages. The company set up in 2005 by two brothers Rob and Peter King, employs 9 couriers and a full time operations manager. Outspoken are one of the lead partners in the EU co-funded cyclelogistics project with responsibility for extending and developing its own delivery model and promoting it to other operations throughout Europe.