Pedal Me
Pedal Me is an e-cargo bike logistics company in London. The company was founded in 2017 by Benjamin Knowles, a transport planner, Rob Sargent, an astrophysicist and technologist, and Chris Dixon, a National Standards Instructor for Cycling.[1][2][3] Pedal Me says that in Central London, it is cheaper and quicker than the taxi service Uber, although this advantage is lost further out from the city centre.[4][5]
Industry | Logistics and Pedicab |
---|---|
Founded | 2017 |
Founders | Benjamin Knowles Christopher Dixon Robert Sargent |
Headquarters | |
Key people | Olivier Rousseau (CEO) Christopher Dixon (Director of Training) Andy Boulanger (CTO) |
Website | www |
The company normally operates within 9 miles of Central London,[6] using bikes built by Urban Arrow in the Netherlands which can carry two adult passengers.[3] The company also offers cargo deliveries, which have significantly outstripped the number of journeys carrying passengers.[7] In a trial run by TfL, the company's riders dropped off construction materials from Wood Green to Whitechapel faster than a van. The contractor plans to continue receiving deliveries by bike.[8] In May 2019, the charity Sustrans decided to use Pedal Me to move all of their office equipment 2.7 miles across London.[9]
The company employs 45 people.[10] As of November 2019, it has 42 bikes in its fleet.[11]
Coronavirus lockdown
During the lockdown in April and May 2020, Pedal Me partnered with Lambeth Council to deliver 10,000 care packages to the individuals and families most in need. This was the largest operation conducted in Pedal Me's history, and perhaps the single largest e-cargo bike logistics operation in the UK. In total, the Pedal Me fleet covered over 20,000 km to distribute nearly 10,000 packages, moving around about 150,000 kg across the borough of Lambeth.[12]
In December 2020, Pedal Me said that they were opening a 6,500sq ft warehouse in Zone 1 to support their freight operations.[13] In February 2021, Pedal Me offered free rides to Londoners going to and from their Covid vaccinations.[14]
References
- "Pedal Me hit £150,000 Crowdcube investment target - on day of launch party for crowdfunding drive". Road.cc. Retrieved 14 November 2019.
- "Crowdcube: Pedal Me". Retrieved 15 November 2019.
- "Smile-inducing Cargobike Taxi Service Crowdfunds To Capitalize On Growth". Forbes. Retrieved 14 November 2019.
- "Meet the man who's taking on Uber – with his pushbike". Daily Telegraph. Retrieved 14 November 2019.
- "Can bike taxis really compete with Uber? Pedal power vs petrol for the morning commute".
- "Our Service". Pedal Me. Retrieved 14 November 2019.
- "Introducing Pedal Me: The startup going wheel-to-wheel with Uber". UK Tech News. Retrieved 14 November 2019.
- "Bikes are starting to replace delivery vans in London". My London. 15 May 2019. Retrieved 14 November 2019.
- "53-Person Charity Moves London Offices By Cargobike". Forbes. Retrieved 14 November 2019.
- "Bicycle taxi company Pedal Me to offer free transport to polling stations". Cyclist. Retrieved 14 November 2019.
- Sutton, Mark (27 November 2019). "Cargo bike logistics firm PedalMe crowdfunds (again) to meet rapid expansion".
- Collignon, Nicolas (8 September 2020). "Pedal Me x Lambeth Council during the Covid-19 lockdown: The logistics of delivering 10,000 care packages using e-cargo bikes".
- "Pedal Power - Mobility Moments with Pedal Me CEO Ben Knowles". 11 December 2020.
- "Lime, Pedal Me partner to give Londoners free rides for vaccine appointments". 5 February 2021.