Mattresses, kegs of beer, flowers, raw materials for restaurants: day after day, bicycle couriers cross Paris and the inner suburbs in all directions to deliver these products to traders and individuals.
By riding bigger and bigger cargo bikes, able to carry heavy loads both at the front and at the back of the machine.
An alternative to classic delivery by van, which does not only have ecological virtues: "Practically all the streets in Paris are wrong way to cycle and you can also take all the tracks", explains Pauline, courier at Olvo for 2 years.
She concludes, after two pedal strokes: “On a bicycle, we are faster than vans because they are systematically stuck in traffic.
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This statement is not just a subjective observation: in 2021, a study by the University of Westminster concluded that deliveries by cargo bike, in a dense city like London, would be 1.6 times more efficient than by van. or by truck.
And merchants who use the services of cyclo-logistics companies like Olvo share the same observation: “Not to mention the usual traffic delays, when the trucks or vans deliver to us, they necessarily block the small street in front of our restaurant” , says Lucia Di Mola, manager of "Ma'Lucia", in the 12th arrondissement.
After taking an order, the Italian boss continues: “In addition, it annoys the neighbors.
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During the morning that we followed her, Pauline pedal-delivered nearly 310 kg of goods in just three rounds from the Olvo warehouse, located in the northeast of Paris.
Between its cargo bike, an XXL cargo bike with a transport box at the front, and its trailer, it can carry up to 150 kg of goods at a time.
"With the electric assist, it's not that difficult to drive," she explains.
"The hanger is as wide as the body so you can easily squeeze between the cars."
Despite their limited loading, compared to a delivery truck or a truck, cargo bikes can easily replace thermal vehicles: this is one of the conclusions of another study, carried out by researchers from Gustave Eiffel University.
According to them, 91% of city deliveries could technically be done by cargo bike.
A solution that even speaks to the delivery giants: last June, Amazon launched an experiment in London to replace its delivery vans with bicycles.
Read alsoCan the cargo bike replace delivery trucks in town
Finally, in terms of profitability, the study by researchers from Gustave Eiffel University, carried out in Paris, provides proof that a "cargo bike solution can be more profitable than an electric utility vehicle with a few micro-hubs located where the demand is greatest.
Study based on data provided by the parcel service company DB Schenker.
