Businesses across Oxford can continue to take advantage of free, zero-emission deliveries within the city – after an electric-cargo bike initiative has been extended for a further three months.
In March 2024, Oxford City Council and Velocity Cycle Couriers launched a 12-week partnership offering free same-day and next-day zero-emission deliveries by electric cargo bike for Oxford businesses to destinations within the ring road.
Now, following a successful launch, the partnership has been extended until 31 August 2024 - allowing more businesses to benefit from the initiative and further support the Council’s commitment to improving air pollution.
In the three months since its launch, the initiative has served 20 businesses, made 590 deliveries covering approximately 1,200 miles, and saved around 315 tons of carbon.
Deliveries are carried out by a Velocity rider using one of the dedicated Covered Market e-cargo bikes supported by Velocity’s fleet of e-cargo bikes.
The Council will continue to subsidise the cost of deliveries during the extended trial period, using grant funding it has received to improve Air Quality.
Following the extension, the partnership will be reviewed again at the end of August.
Businesses who want to take part in the extended partnership can contact Velocity at hello@velocitycc.co.uk or by calling Velocity on 01865 249 854.
Supporting zero emission deliveries
The transport sector is the largest contributor of NOX emissions in the city, accounting for 68% of emissions in Oxford.
The introduction of the Zero Emission Zone Pilot in February 2022 has seen a shift towards zero emission deliveries such as electric vehicles and electric cargo bikes, including DPD, EVRI, Pedal & Post, and Royal Mail.
This electric cargo bike partnership aims to support businesses as they explore how they can move towards zero-emission deliveries. The initiative will also aid the Council in its ambitions to create an inclusive and zero-carbon economy and to support small businesses across the city.
Comment
“I am delighted that we will be extending the electric cargo bike partnership for another three months. The initiative has had a positive reception from businesses and I am pleased that we’re helping more businesses to move to zero emission deliveries.”
Councillor Anna Railton, Deputy Leader and Cabinet Member for Zero Carbon Oxford, Oxford City Council
"Supporting local traders over the last three months replacing traditional fossil-fuelled deliveries with our electric cargo bikes has been a fantastic partnership with the council. We're really pleased that the bike initiative is being extended by a further three months, with all the benefits this brings to congestion and air quality in Oxford. We look forward to delivering for our existing partners and hopefully to welcoming new businesses to the council's initiative as well."
Jake Swinhoe, Director, Velocity Cycle Couriers
"Jake, Will & his team at Velocity are fabulous. They recently carried out a gelato delivery for me and when the recipient had popped out for ten minutes, they circled back round to ensure it arrived safely. We use them all the time to carry out local chocolate deliveries, which always get delivered with a smile.”
Graham MacDonald, Owner, iScream & Wicked Chocolate
“We have always struggled with delivering some of our local parcels. We have tried our best to deliver these parcels by bike when we can, but we rarely have enough capacity through our individual cyclists, and often we can only take one parcel at a time.
“Velocity is now taking on average 27 of our most awkward to deliver parcels each week. With the cargo bike, they aren’t as limited on the size of the parcel, so they can deliver several crates to some single households, and are taking upwards of 40 crates each week. This frees up our cars and van capacity to focus on taking the further away deliveries, and generally gives us a lot more flexibility throughout the week."
Daniel Cairney, Director of Operations, Oxford Mutual Aid
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