UPS pilots cargo bikes in Toronto

The U.S.-based parcel delivery company announced at a press conference in Toronto on Monday that it has launched a pilot project using bicycle to deliver parcels throughout the Canadian city.    UPS is now testing cargo bicycle parcel delivery in Toronto, as announced at a city hall press conference held by Mayor John Tory in Toronto on Monday.
   The pilot project is the first in Canada, though UPS noted that cargo bikes are used around the world. Mayor John Tory said deploying cargo bikes could help reduce congestion and mitigate the “traffic nightmares that people experience in this city.” Environmental concerns is another motivating factor in piloting the cargo bike.
   UPS Canada President Christoph Atz said the pilot is “another step towards a more sustainable city. In Canada, the cargo bike joins our growing alternative fuel and advanced technology fleet, of which more than 40 percent runs on alternative fuel. The success and learnings from this pilot will determine UPS Canada’s strategy for cargo delivery by bicycle on a larger scale in Toronto, and potentially to other cities across Canada,” he said in a statement to American Shipper.
   “The success of this pilot program was first demonstrated in 2012 in collaboration with the city of Hamburg, Germany. Containers at central locations in the city were used as interim storage of packages for UPS service providers. From these points, deliveries were made on foot or with specialized, electronically-assisted bicycles. Today, Toronto, as a leader in Canadian innovation, joins other world class cities like Frankfurt, Toulouse, Dublin, Vienna and Rome,” said Atz.
   The pilot will take place in and around York University first, partly because it is close to a UPS main distribution hub, they explained at the press conference.
   According to The Toronto Star, the bike weighs roughly 217 kilograms when empty, and has a payload capacity of almost double, including the driver. It is 2.8 meters long and can hold up to 50 packages. Safety features include headlights, tail lights, turn signals, side markers and hazard lights, powered by a solar panel on the vehicle’s roof, said The Toronto Star. However, because of its size the bike won’t be allowed to operate in bike lanes.
   UPS has also been working on an electrical-powered cargo bike, with tests occurring back in 2015 in Basel, Switzerland. Battery-aided bikes are already utilized in Hamburg, Germany, but the company is hoping to expand its green-energy technology, particularly for cargo bikes, world-wide.