They replace small vans for short journeys and for the time being there are not many laws specifically for cargo bikes.
You see them more and more often, the cargo bikes. They are bicycles that can be used to transport goods or larger loads than with a classic bicycle. Today we estimate that 1 in 3 deliveries could be made by bicycle. The cargo bike as an alternative to vans in busy cities. The best electric cargo bike is therefore one with a good load capacity, driving comfort and strong electric support. In busy cities such as Brussels, Urbike makes the flow of goods run more smoothly.
The cooperative Ur bike was born from the BCklet project in March 2018. The aim was a pilot project for the distribution by bicycle of the last kilometers in Brussels. It project was subsidized by the Brussels Region and carried out in collaboration with Smart, the VUB (MOBI), USL-B and Febecoop, as well as with renowned clients such as bpost, CSD, Delhaize and MultiPharma.
the cooperative
After the foundation of Urbike and the registration of the first 130 cooperants, Urbike was voted startup of the year by the Bike Brussels fair. The first employee was hired in 2019. In 2020 it was named the logistics project of the year 2020 and grew to a team with 5 employees. Barely a year later, the team counted 15 full-time equivalents, including 6 salaried couriers. The board of directors consists of 6 directors elected by the general meeting and 2 permanent guests.
A platoon of 650 cooperants who together accelerate the transition to sustainable and humane cities
After moving into the new head office in Anderlecht, the training program “Cairgo Bike for Pros” was started, which was supported by more than 2021 organizations and 80 professionals at the end of 320. In 2022 it was selected for support through the Venture Philanthropy Fund of the King Baudouin Foundation and the team counted 45 employees, including 11 salaried couriers. Today, the cooperative relies on a multidisciplinary and multicultural team for all the services offered and a pool of more than thirty couriers who cross the city centers every day.
In addition to logistical innovation, Urbike has also strived since its foundation for a healthy status for bicycle delivery drivers, who often work in precarious conditions as a result of the platform economy and operators such as Deliveroo and Uber.
Urbike not only delivers by bicycle. The cooperative also sells materials and offers consultancy and training to assist municipalities, companies and the self-employed in their transition. In 2017, Philippe and Renaud, together with Delphine Lefebvre, the third co-founder of Urbike, guided cities such as Charleroi, Liège, Mons, Marche-en-Famenne and Bastogne in experimental research projects in the field of urban logistics. read it full story from Urbike that starts with a meeting.
longtail or cargo bike?
A cargo bike is a cargo bike, just like a longtail bike is also a cargo bike. As long as you can transport cargo, your bicycle falls under the term cargo bicycle. We are now several years further since the origin of the cargo bicycle and we are increasingly starting to place a bicycle in its own category. Cargo bikes are bicycles with a box. Longtails are bicycles with a long rear. This makes cargo bikes the descriptive name for bicycles used to transport objects (with or without a box).
