UPS launches eBike deliveries in Pittsburgh
UPS has launched an eBike delivery service in Pittsburgh, Philadelphia.
The eBike route is planned to go around downtown Pittsburgh.
The eBike can be operated solely on battery power or pedal power. UPS said it will “evaluate the reliability, design, integration to the city’s infrastructure and acceptance of the vehicle”. Assuming the result are positive, UPS intends to operate the eBike in Pittsburgh as weather permits on a regular route year-round.
In a statement issued yesterday (8 November), Barb Jaram, UPS Mid Atlantic District president, said: “Working with cities like Pittsburgh to provide them with a delivery solution that helps reduce congestion and emissions and improve air and noise quality is the latest example of how to meet the needs of today’s cities.
“We have many vehicle options when it comes to reducing our impact on the environment including our cycle solutions that provide greater mobility and fewer emissions.”
UPS first demonstrated the use of eBikes for urban deliveries with a pilot scheme in the German city of Hamburg in 2012, and it has since rolled the eBike programme to other cities.
Last week, UPS announced that it was introducing cargo bikes to make deliveries around York University campus in the Canadian city of Toronto.
