AmazonlaunchesLondoncargobikedeliveryservice

Amazon Sustainable Delivery Service

Last week, The Guardian published news that retail heavyweight Amazon is switching out traditional van delivery for a “fleet of e-cargo bikes and a team of on-foot delivery staff” in London, with the first hub launching in Hackney this year. The launch will see 5 million zero-emission deliveries a year across approximately one tenth of the capital’s ultra low emission zone (ULEZ) postcodes, providing a solid foundation to Amazon’s much wider plans. The decision to launch is part of a mission to become more sustainable across the UK, with John Boumphrey of Amazon stating: “Amazon is driving towards a global net-zero carbon future. One way we’re doing that is through the transformation of our transportation networks.” Hackney councillor Mete Coban is backing this initial project – “We’re really pleased to have worked with Amazon to support them to take traditional vans off the street and replace them with e-cargo bikes.”

It’s encouraging to see a retailer as influential as Amazon taking e-cargo bike deliveries in their stride. Cargo bikes are on a trajectory to become the go-to vehicle for urban deliveries, with businesses responding to a steady increase in pressure from consumer expectations on sustainability. Zedify received a welcome mention in the piece – “Specialist delivery services…have expanded rapidly during the pandemic with one service, Zedify, setting up 10 mini-hubs on brownfield sites outside cities to make thousands of zero-emission deliveries into each city every day.”

One Zedify hub in particular, a new, larger Hoxton hub (also in Hackney, east London) is already making sustainable deliveries for a growing number of local and national businesses in the area, having been based here and delivering across central London since 2018. Due to the increased collaboration the industry is beginning to see, between logistics companies and small and large retailers alike, measurable improvements in air quality, noise levels and general environmental health will soon be a very real and tangible outcome for London’s residents.

Read more from our founder Rob King on the rise of e-cargo bikes here.