Oxford manufactured cargo bikes could be in Reading by 2024

Oxford’s Pedal and Post is looking to expand into Reading following the launch of a £500,000 crowdfunding campaign on Ethical investment platform Ethex.

The Oxford-based company has said that the arrival of cargo bikes in Reading, which would happen in 2024 if the campaign is successful, would not only reduce pollution but also cut costs for companies whilst simultaneously providing a quicker delivery service.

With wider expansion planned, Pedal and Post has also said that if all companies nationwide switched to cargo bikes for the first and last mile of deliveries then the NHS and government could save up to £4billion through reduced congestion and air pollution costs.

CEO of Pedal and Post Chris Benton said:  “We want to support Reading to join the Cargo bike revolution. The potential to clean up our air and grow the UK economy is huge. Pollution from diesel van deliveries costs the NHS nearly £25,000 across the lifetime of the van, compared to around £150 for an electric cargo bike.

“We also know that cargo bikes can deliver more parcels per hour than the average van, and produce 92% less greenhouse gas emissions per delivery, so it really is a no-brainer to make the switch.”

The call for cargo bikes follows the revelation, in research conducted by  the Department of Transport, that a third of all urban deliveries could be done by cargo bikes or e-cargo bikes. Furthering this, researchers at Just Economics found that the environmental and social costs associated with diesel vans totalled at £2.46 billion in London alone.

The chair of Pedal and Post Jamie Hartzell said: “The potential market here is huge. We know that internet retail sales grew by 47% in 2020. But while getting goods delivered to your home at a click of a button is easy and time saving at a time when we are all under pressure, it comes at a significant cost to our health and the environment.

“Electric cargo bikes are a crucial part of the solution to speed up deliveries and make our air safer to breathe.”

In the coming five years, Pedal and Post is looking to increase its revenues to £5.5m, create 140 jobs, increase the number of parcels delivered to 8,000 a day, and save 400 tonnes of CO2 emissions.

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