Oxford’s Pedal and Post urges switch to cargo bikes as it launches share offer

Oxford eco-courier Pedal and Post has published figures showing that the NHS and government services could save £4.2 billion if companies were to switch from diesel vans to cargo bikes for the first and last mile of deliveries.

The report comes as the company launches a share offer, with plans to crowdfund up to £500,000 for further expansion within Oxford and a launch in Reading next year.

Research from the Department for Transport has also found that 33 per cent of all urban deliveries could be completed by cargo or ecargo bikes, which would reduce congestion, air pollution and related conditions, road accidents, and greenhouse gas emissions.

Of the £4.2 billion in potential health and environmental savings nationwide, this translates to £14 million for Oxford taxpayers alone.

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Chris Benton, Founder and CEO of Pedal and Post, said: “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.”

Pedal and Post has operated in Oxford for almost 10 years, with its current workforce of 23 staff delivering 1,000 parcels a day across the city and its medieval streets. The upcoming funding drive supports a five-year vision to grow to 140 employees and 8,000 daily deliveries.

The company has already partnered with the likes of DPD, Yodel, and Riverford to deliver their smaller packages, while also supporting local institutions such as Blackwell’s Bookshop and Wolfson College at the University of Oxford.

Nationally, eight cargo bike services currently operate in more than one city. But some of the country’s largest cities, including Birmingham, Manchester, and Sheffield, lack any form of cycle courier service.

All the while, the UK deliveries market continues to grow, up from £6.9 billion in 2013 to £13.9 billion in 2021. This includes an inevitable 50 per cent jump during the pandemic.

Chair of Pedal and Post Jamie Hartzell added: “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.”

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