Green to the Grave; Mortality as a Service

Register of Initiatives in Pedal Powered Logistics - RIPPL #19

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Co-operative Funeral Care's Tandem Hearse

Even in death there is a role for cycle logistics. In the UK the co-operative Funeralcare have made sure of that.

In 2010, in response to a request from the family of a cyclist, the UK-based funeral group arranged for a tandem hearse to be built. Co-op have since added a second tandem hearse to their permanent fleet and ‘last rides’ are now available on request at the group’s 900 nationwide branches. It is part of a wider trend towards alternative funerals; according to Co-op’s research, with 1 in 15 UK funerals in 2013 featuring a non-traditional hearse.

Wade Lind with his Tricycle Hearse. Photo Credit: Melissa Lind

The Co-op is not the only organisation to have had this idea. Over in the US, a funeral home in Eugene, Oregon also has a pedal-powered mode of transport. Wade Lind, owner of Sunset Hills Funeral Home, had the idea for an e-trike hearse, designed and then built it within the space of two weeks.

Lastly, The Netherlands are rarely outdone when it comes to cycling and it's often said that the Dutch are born on their bikes. To complete this journey from cradle to grave, Wim Koning built a beautiful funeral bike, which he presented at the ICBF in 2015.

We at RIPPL can't think of a better way to go.

Innovations: funeral hearse

Organisation: Co-operative Funeralcare

Sector: Private

Country: UK

Basis: Permanent

Website: http://www.co-operativefuneralcare.co.uk

Sources:
Co-operative Funeralcare: “Tandem Cycle Hearse”
The Guardian: “Personalised hearses the new way to go”
Co-operative Group: “Custom Hearses Hit Top Gear”
Patent for Hearse assembly (US 7213855 B2)
ETA: “Pedal-powered hearse proves cycling needn’t end after death”
WALB News 10: “Funeral home offers bike hearse, basket coffin”
Huffington Post: “Go Green to the Grave in a Tricycle Hearse”

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Subsidised e-Cargo Bikes in Maastricht

Register of Initiatives in Pedal Powered Logistics - RIPPL #18

The RIPPL blog continues at the website RIPPL.BIKE

A pilot scheme in Maastricht is allowing entrepreneurs and businesses to try out electric cargo bikes for free. Maastricht Bereikbaar (”Accessible Maastricht”, the city transport authority which is a collaboration between several government bodies, the local Municipality, the Province of Limburg and local businesses with an interest in logistics) is giving local initiatives the chance to test e-cargo bikes for six months.

Maastricht Bereikbaar are preparing Maastrichters for possible disruption when the Noorderbrug closes.

How does it work? Firstly, businesses buy or lease the e-cargo bikes themselves. In order to qualify for 100% reimbursement up to a maximum of €4000, participating businesses must make at least 4 journeys per day in and around the Maastricht area during the six month trial period. To ensure this condition is met, Maastricht Bereikbaar fits each e-cargo bike with a GPS tracker, which also provides valuable data about user behaviour. 

In August 2017 major works which will close the Noorderbrug, one of Maastricht’s main river crossings, so one of the scheme’s stated aims is to reduce traffic in Maastricht in anticipation of the disruption caused during this period. Therefore another requirement is that the e-cargo bike purchased replaces trips that would otherwise be taken by trucks or vans.

LEVV-LOGIC, a research project focussing on using light electric vehicles for freight, will evaluate the GPS data generated as well as the experiences of users, treating the trial as a Living Lab (we’ve covered CityServiceBike, another LEVV-LOGIC Living Lab in a previous post).

No van needed here

The scheme, which runs between July 2017 and March 2018, is open to a limited number of participants and interested parties can sign up here before 30th September. Several similar schemes, in which public sector subsidies are made available to promote cycle logistics, exist in Germany, Austria and Switzerland. Cargobike.jetzt has compiled a list here.

Innovations: Public sector involvement as a catalyst, traffic reduction

Organisation: Maastricht Bereikbaar

Sector: Government

City: Maastricht

Country: The Netherlands

Basis: Pilot

Website: https://www.maastrichtbereikbaar.nl
Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/MaastrichtBereikbaar

Twitter: https://twitter.com/naarMaastricht
Contact: Mark Luikens and/or Francoise van den Broek / info@maastricht-bereikbaar.nl

Sources:
LEVV-LOGIC July 2017 Newsletter (Dutch)

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Pedal Me - MaaS by bike on the streets of London

Register of Initiatives in Pedal Powered Logistics - RIPPL #17

 The RIPPL blog continues at the website RIPPL.BIKE

London-based startup Pedal Me is taking the trend of Mobility as a Service (MaaS) and applying it to bikes. The company exists to carry a precious cargo around the city; passengers. To do this, specially adapted bikes, which were developed in collaboration with Dutch manufacturer Urban Arrow, are used. A smartphone app allows customers to request rides, get a price estimate and follow the progress of their rider as they approach.

Pedal Me's unique selling point in such a congested city is speed; bicycles can travel much faster across London than traditional vehicles. To prove this beyond doubt, trials were run in summer 2016 which included tests over five different 2 mile courses in Central London. Average times were compared to Google Maps estimates for a car taking the same trip (estimates which in practice are mostly underestimated, time-wise).

The test results were clear: on average, journeys took 10mins for the bike and 19mins for the car. The verdict; once Pedal Me are operating at scale they should be able to complete almost twice as many journeys as cars. This potentially puts them in an immensely advantageous position compared to other MaaS providers such as Uber; bikes cost less to run but can do more.

This extra capacity allows Pedal Me the financial space in which to operate a responsible business model where close relationships with direct employees working for reasonable pay can be fostered. This focus on good labour relations will allow quality control over how employees ride and eliminate perverse incentives.

The plan is indeed to scale up the idea, firstly in London and then across the UK. If it works in London, with the perceived intensity and hostility of the road conditions there, it should be able to work anywhere, although each new location would come with a unique set of challenges. London's network of separated cycle lanes is growing, but is currently nowhere near that of any city in The Netherlands. So as London makes the transition to a more cycle friendly city over the coming decades, as current trends suggest it will, business conditions for Pedal Me are likely to grow ever more favourable.

Despite this, founder Ben Knowles is pragmatic about working within the current situation: “The main issue we have here in London is training the riders to a level that we're happy with them riding in traffic with customers on board. The things that are generally good practice for riding in traffic are not that intuitive, such as riding in line with the vehicles and being confident about taking the whole lane. It's much safer but it is quite intimidating for new riders.”

“Our test is quite hard; you have to pass Bikeability Level 3, then there's a handling test away from traffic, followed by a 30 minute test similar to the UK driving test, with minor, major and serious faults. If there are any major or serious faults, that could potentially end up with a collision, then that rider fails. We'd review at that point and decide whether to invite that person back again. A serious fault is defined as one where you only have to do it 5-10 times and you'll have a collision and are taking evasive action; a major fault is any which fails the 'Bens Granny Test' - something which would either make my Granny nervous, or would result in a collision if you tried the same move 500 or 1000 times. It's based on a risk assessment and we wrote the requirements of the testing to suit that.”

Another aim is for Pedal Me to act as a catalyst, to inspire others to cycle and think about cargo bikes in particular. This has inspired the Pedal Me team lead to introduce elements of diversification into their business model. Regular school runs and delivery of small packages are already parts of Pedal Me's repertoire. Knowles adds: “One of the impacts I'm hoping it's going to have is to increase the number of people on cargo bikes, because you're showing people what's possible, getting people thinking. We quite often have conversations with passengers about where you could get a bike like this.”

Innovations: Mobility as a Service (Maas)

Organisation: Pedal Me

Sector: Mobility

Cities: London

Country: UK

Basis: Permanent

Website: pedalme.co.uk
Twitter: http://twitter.com/pedalmeapp
Facebook: http://facebook.com/pedalmeapp
Instagram: http://instagram.com/pedalmeapp

Contact: Ben Knowles, +44 (0)203 189 1612, support@pedalme.co.uk 

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Rita Bringt's - Viennese Meals on (Pedal Powered) Wheels

Register of Initiatives in Pedal Powered Logistics - RIPPL #16

 The RIPPL blog continues at the website RIPPL.BIKE

Started in 2014 by two Salzburgers; nutritionist Rita Huber and Gerald Költringer, Founder and Owner of an internet design company, Rita Bringt's is a catering and food delivery business based in Vienna, Austria.

Using a fleet of 13 refrigerated Bullitts, plus several trikes, the company delivers handmade meals to Viennese homes and businesses. Rita and Gerald have built the company with sustainability in mind: all of the packaging they use is recyclable or biodegradable, all ingredients used are locally sourced and organic where possible and customers must order before 4pm the day before meaning waste is minimised. It's easy to see where the use of bikes for deliveries fits into this sustainable business model. Compatibility with their environmentally responsible ethos combined with operational flexibility and efficiency makes using cargo bikes an obvious choice for Rita Bringt's.

Food delivery is one of the major trends in cycle logistics at the moment and there are a number of different models that organisations are using; organisations such as Deliveroo and Foodora come to mind, for example. However, Rita Bringt's is different; they are an example of a different breed of successful, city-based, small-to-medium sized food businesses using cargo bikes to transport self-produced; a similar example in Amsterdam is Marleen Kookt. Initiatives such as these seem to thrive in cities where good cycling infrastructure is present.

We were lucky enough to sample Rita Bringt's food when they catered for the European Cycle Logistics Federation Conference in Vienna recently and can confirm; food just tastes better when it's been delivered by bike.

Innovations: Food, Sustainability

Organisation: Rita Bringt's

Sector: Food

City: Vienna

Country: Austria
Bike Manufacturer: Larry vs. Harry / Bullitt

Basis: Permanent

Website: www.ritabringts.at
Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/ritabringts/

Twitter: https://twitter.com/Ritabringts
Instagram: http://instagram.com/rita_bringts
Contact: support@ritabringts.at / +43 1 361 77 22

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Bicylift: Euro-pallets... by bike

Register of Initiatives in Pedal Powered Logistics - RIPPL #15

The RIPPL blog continues at the website RIPPL.BIKE

The humble Euro-pallet; along with the shipping container, perhaps the most ubiquitous standardised design in logistics. The other thing Euro-pallets have in common with shipping containers? It's not really possible to use them for cycle logistics. Until now, that is.

Charles Levaillan is a Mechanical Engineer from Rennes, France. In 2014 he was working on boat design (amongst other things) in the day, and in his free time built his kitchen out of scavenged pallets; a project made more difficult by the fact he didn't own a car or van. These factors came together and Levaillan was inspired to come up with a solution; the Bicylift.

 

The Bicylift is part bike trailer, part pallet lifter and can also be used to manoeuvre pallets on foot; hence the strapline “Last mile by bike, last metre on foot”. Operation is very simple, but is probably best described in this video:

By March 2016 Levaillan's company, Fleximodal, had started up and manufacturing had begun with a partner company 40km from Rennes. In addition to holding the patent on the concept of lifting a pallet and attaching it to a bike for transport, Fleximodal also designs and makes custom containers for cycle logistics.

The Bicylift has a capacity of 180kgs, so although it cannot take the heaviest pallets, most will fall within it’s capabilities. In fact, organisations that begin to use the Bicylift can take this into account, perhaps adjusting the maximum weight of pallet they will accept. Refinements to the design are ongoing; brakes were recently added to allow greater control of movement on foot.

The advantages are obvious; deliveries of full pallets without repacking would represent a significant efficiency saving for many organisations. Previously, vehicles with tail-lifts (which tend, out of necessity, to be on the larger side) had to deliver pallets as there is always a height difference between the truck-bed and the ground. Another alternative involves having fork-lift trucks at either end of the delivery run.

It follows then that by eliminating these large delivery vehicles, not only is there a saving on running costs, but by keeping them out of town and city centres there are also many environmental and societal advantages to take into account. The Bicylift could also allow organisations to update their offerings to clients and end users, to include door-to-door pallet delivery where this was previously impossible.

Innovations: Palletisation, Trailer

Organisation: Fleximodal

Sector: Manufacturing

Cities: Rennes

Country: France

Basis: Permanent

Website: fleximodal.fr/en/
Twitter: twitter.com/fleximodal
Facebook: www.facebook.com/fleximodal

Contact: Charles Levaillan, fleximodal.fr/en/contact-us/

Sources:
Larry vs. Harry: "Trailer Time: Fleximodal Bicylift"

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