Richmond upon Thames has become home to the highest number of e-cargo bikes of any London borough as part of an app-based community share scheme.
Each of OurBike’s cargo bikes, ten of which are now based in the area, has a front box with a weight limit of 100kg and a load capacity of 351l, with uses including carry heavy items, take out the rubbish and helping with moving homes while reducing the need to use a motor vehicle.
OurBike general manager, Douglas Leroy remarked the borough allows the best modal shift from single-car use to bikes using the scheme.
Leroy said: “OurBike has proven to be a very universal, polyvalent solution to a lot of concerns and are a very good way for people to have a sustainable alternative to anything they usually do with a car or struggle to do with public transport.
“We try and make sure the bikes are as approachable as possible and OurBikes, compared to other companies, are three wheelers so you don’t need to put your feet down, which makes a big difference when most of our users have not used a cargo bike before.”
The bikes can be booked using the OurBike app for £3 an hour with the first 60 minutes offered for free to new resident users and 180 free minutes for new business users.
OurBike also provides an option for people carrying people, which is one of the main ways Leroy himself uses them, including taking his friends to the park.
Despite being one of the demographics who struggle the most to switch from cars to bikes, parents are a large proportion of OurBike members, with the school run being the second biggest use of the cycles.
According to OurBike, the main barrier to using cargo bikes for nearly half of users (45%) is affordability followed by storage.
Leroy explained the company tackles both these issues with the bikes being stationed and locked near the business hosting the bikes, and can be borrowed at an affordable rate.
He added there are many advantages to switching from the use of motor vehicles to OurBikes, including improved mental and physical health.
With the delayed launch of OurBike as a result of Covid-19, Leroy stated there had been an increase in the uptake of cycling, as people couldn’t use their cars or travel very far.
He said: “The benefits of cycling became obvious including the healthy side of it, the fun side of it and the cheaper side of it.
“With Ourbike we got to fill the gaps of ‘what do I do when I’m a parent?’ and ‘what do I do if I want to go on a ride in the park?’”
OurBike has just launched in Hackney, which Leroy expects will see large take up due to the east London borough being home to a large cycling community.
Tom, user of Waffle + Coffee OurBike, said: “I have used the bike on multiple occasions already, taking the kids out for a picnic and to a local cafe.
“It has been brilliant to experience what it would be like to own a cargo bike at very little cost and the kids love it every time.”
Looking forward, Leroy is aiming for to see a greater uptake of OurBikes in east London and places like Lewisham and Greenwich, which he noted are family-centred areas.
He said: “I invite anyone to try OurBike out, just to see that they can use it for a lot of tasks that they might usually struggle with.”
Residents and businesses can rent e-cargo bikes and trailers through OurBike’s ‘Try Before You Bike‘ scheme in partnership with Peddle My Wheels.
Bikes are available on a one-month subscription that can be cancelled and renewed at any time and can be bought at the end of the trial.
To find out more about the cargo bike hire scheme, visit the OurBike website.
A map of all OurBike locations in the Borough of Richmond can be found here.
Image Credit: OurBike, Douglas Leroy
