DHL Express has launched two pilots for City Hub, a new concept that will allow it to increase the use of cargo bicycles for deliveries in busy inner-cities.
The concept comprises a customised trailer which can carry up to four containers for the DHL Cubicycle. The trailer is delivered into the city centre and containers loaded on to two Cubicycles for last mile delivery.
The City Hub trailers are said to replace up to two standard delivery vehicles and save more than sixteen tons a year of C02.
The pilots are running in Frankfurt in Germany and in Utrecht in the Netherlands.
“DHL Express has already replaced up to 60% of inner-city vehicle routes in some European countries with cargo bicycles, and we expect that the City Hub and Cubicycle will both help us to accelerate this approach in other markets over the next 3-5 years,” said John Pearson, CEO, DHL Express Europe.
“Bicycles offer a number of advantages in express delivery operations: they can bypass traffic congestion and make up to two times as many stops per hour than a delivery vehicle. The total cost of ownership over their lifetime is less than half of a van. And crucially, they generate zero emissions, which reinforces our own ongoing program to minimize our environmental footprint and supports city governments’ efforts to promote sustainable city living,” he said.
Bicycles are enjoying a resurgence for delivery with retailers and delivery companies increasingly turning to the pedal powered option. DHL Express has already introduced bicycles in more than 80 European cities in 13 countries.
Image credit: Fotolia and DHL Express
