Utrecht E-Cargo Bike Hire Scheme a Success

A trial e-cargo bike rental scheme in Utrecht has been a success and more bikes will now be added to the fleet, reports UtrechtNieuws.nl.

The bikes were used more than once a day, and research showed that they replaced car trips.

Utrecht currently has 180 e-cargo bikes in its fleet. They enable car owners to leave the car at home for some trips, and provide a benefit to those who don’t own their own car or cargo bike.

New permits will be handed out to operators of the scheme in 2024, and they can then add more cargo bikes to their hire fleets. By 2026, Utrecht wants to see at least 375 in the city.

Virtual Hubs

For the moment, the e-cargo bikes have to be collected from a fixed parking point and returned to the same place.

From 2024, the city will run a pilot scheme that allows bike users to pick up a cargo bike from one parking place and leave it at another. The parking places are called ‘virtual hubs’.

The virtual hubs will be comparable to bus stops, so that wherever you live there’s an e-cargo bike hub within walking distance. There should be at least two e-cargo bikes at each virtual hub, so that users are not disappointed.

During the pilot scheme, Utrecht council will be looking at expanding the operation to the region. This would mean that cargo bikes could replace cars for some trips between the city and outlying towns and villages.

Stuck in the Dark Ages

From North Yorkshire, it seems amazing that there could be such a far-sighted and pro-active local authority.

Here, nothing ever seems to happen. We are stuck in the Dark Ages.