Award-winning UK-based think tank Fare City has announced that it will soon be closing after four years of operation.
In a farewell letter to supporters, the not-for-profit explained that it is no longer feasible to continue in the current economic and political conditions.
Fare City has made many important contributions to the urban transport sector through research, policy reports, and collaborations to support the campaigning work of charities.
It recently released a study examining London’s non-commercial cargo bikes as a result of the UK’s first Cleaner Air Market.
The project at Maltby Street Market in London showed how traders of a working food market can successfully tackle air pollution and reduce their carbon emissions.
The social enterprise has received two awards from Westminster University’s Active Travel Academy for ‘Sharing the Load’ (2020), an in-depth study on non-commercial cargo bike use, and ‘Burning Bridges’ (2019), for its research on Hammersmith Bridge.
“When we founded Fare City back in 2019, we were on the dawn of a new decade, and were aware of the potential of sustainable mobility to address issues such as accessibility, equity, and the climate crisis,” Charles Critchell, Founder and Managing Director of Fare City, told Zag Daily. “However, we were unaware of exactly how important the sector would become in meeting the additional challenges that the pandemic and cost of living crisis posed.
“We have thrived upon working within this challenging environment to develop and deliver pioneering work to help advance the influence of the sector. From our award-winning research on non-commercial cargo bike use to our ground-breaking Cleaner Air Market pilot, we are proud to have played our part.”
A part of Fare City’s work will continue to live on with London Assembly’s report recommendation for further Cleaner Air Markets.
The company’s remaining assets will be transferred to Wheels for Wellbeing, which will use them to support their call for more inclusive cycling throughout the UK.
Fare City’s members will also continue supporting the work of other organisations as they advance the case for sustainable mobility and for healthier, happier and fairer cities.
