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It may make it a lot easier to navigate downtown traffic for that business meeting or event, or to even deliver a parcel.
The London Bicycle Cafe, fresh off of winning a London Chamber of Commerce business achievement award, has announced a program to provide e-bikes to businesses when they need to get somewhere in a hurry.
The bikes-for-business program offers e-bikes free to businesses for several weeks, in hope they realize it can be faster to get somewhere on a bike and avoid driving, parking and core-area vehicle traffic, cafe owner Andrew McClenaghan said.
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“We know that in urban centres where the population is dense, goods are moved by bicycle. It is time to bring that to London,” he said.
“If you have a downtown meeting and it’s a kilometre away, you have to get the car out of the garage, drive a short distance and find parking. (An e-bike) is a time and cost saver,” he said.
The cafe sells e-bikes for $3,000 to $7,000 and McClenaghan said he will offer financing and a service package to maintain the bikes, for businesses or agencies that want to buy.
“There are a lot of deliveries where you don’t need a car. These are pedal assists and they work for everyone,” he said.
Meals on Wheels had an e-bike for a day and realized it is faster and more convenient for nearby food deliveries than using a car, executive director Chad Callander said.
“In certain cases, it is faster and more convenient for our drivers. They did not have to look for a place to park. A lot of the individuals we serve are in complexes and townhouses,” he said.
“It is always a challenge finding volunteers and, with an e-bike, we may tap into a different demographic,” to get drivers, Callander said.
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E-bike users do not need a driver’s licence.
Meals on Wheels is on Queens Avenue downtown and has many deliveries in the core. Its food is made at Youth Opportunities Unlimited at York and Richmond streets.
Meals on Wheels is applying for a grant of about $6,000 so it can buy an e-bike, Callander said.
519 Pursuit, the agency that delivers food and health care items to homeless people, has had an e-bike and cargo trailer for several months.
“This pilot project creates new paths forward in locating friends who are in encampments and not accessing services regularly. It’s a big step forward in support of food security for individuals living unhoused,” Allison Deblaire, executive director of 519 Pursuit, said in a statement.
London Bicycle Café will maintain and store the e-bikes, allowing businesses and organizations to try the bikes.
“This is a whole untapped market. It could help change the city. It is the right tool for the right job for the right business and it could help the climate,“ McClenaghan said.
The London Bicycle Cafe last week won best small business at the chamber awards.
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