Amazon is rapidly expanding its UK e-cargo bike fleet with the launch of three new micromobility delivery hubs in Manchester and London.
This is the first time Amazon’s e-cargo bike delivery fleet will operate across the city of Manchester. New hubs based in London’s Wembley and Southwark will also more than triple the e-cargo bike fleet in the capital.
These e-cargo bikes and walkers are expected to make more than two million deliveries a year, taking traditional delivery vans off the roads.
The investment is part of the company’s five-year £300 million plan to decarbonise its transportation network in the UK. Further UK micromobility hubs are expected to open in the coming months.
Amazon chose to launch the hubs just ahead of Black Friday to reduce emissions deliveries during the busy shopping period.
The bikes are operated by a variety of partner businesses, not directly by Amazon. One approved bike supplier is EAV Solutions.
“These forms of micro hubs are going to grow into every major city across the UK within the next two years,” Adam Barmby, CEO and Founder of EAV told Zag Daily.
“We’re incredibly excited by Amazon’s move towards these hubs. It further validates that our business model and new vehicle type design is the future of transport within the urban environment.
“This is a trend we are seeing across the board with all of our customers from logistics to waste management, so it’s not just limited to Amazon.”
Decarbonisation and Technology Minister, Jesse Norman, said that e-cargo bikes can play a vital role in reducing emissions.
“That’s why we’ve already helped hundreds of firms to use them for deliveries. With ever more people buying goods online, it’s more important than ever that we move to greener alternatives, and today’s announcement is one step closer to achieving that goal,” he said.
The hubs join Amazon’s existing central London e-cargo bike fleet, announced in July.
Earlier this week, the company announced further micromobility expansion plans across France and Italy. E-cargo bikes and on-foot deliveries are now operational from hubs in more than 20 cities across Europe.
“With more than €1 billion committed to electrifying and decarbonising our European transportation network over the next five years, including more than £300 million in the UK alone, we remain laser focused on reaching net carbon zero by 2040,” said John Boumphrey, UK Country Manager at Amazon.
“These new hubs will not only bring our customers more electric-powered deliveries, but also support local authorities looking for ways to reduce congestion and find alternative transportation methods. We look forward to expanding our e-cargo bike fleet further in the coming months.”
