New Streets for People e-cargo bikes available to hire

2 October 2023

Southwark Council now has four e-cargo bikes available to hire, by businesses, community groups or individuals.

Southwark, the first London borough to introduce a community e-cargo bike share scheme, now has bikes available in Lordship Lane; East Dulwich; Walworth and Dulwich Village.

The scheme is run by Peddle My Wheels on behalf of the council. It is similar to a car share scheme but for electric cargo bikes, which can be hired by the minute.

Cllr James McAsh, the council’s Cabinet Member for Climate Emergency, Streets and Clean Air, visited café and bakery Louie Louie on Walworth Road, which has just started using the new Streets for People e-cargo bike.

“Cargo bikes are a great way of transporting goods across the borough – fast, cheap and good for our environment,” said Cllr McAsh. “It’s great to see a local business really embrace sustainable ways of transporting goods across the borough.

“As part of our ambitious Streets for People strategy, we’re supporting local businesses to switch to cargo bikes to help improve the air we breathe, reduce congestion and reliance on larger vehicles.”

Chris Greenwood, who runs four Louie Louie cafes around Southwark, said he uses e-cargo bikes to deliver baked goods between his main kitchen and bakery in Walworth and the other sites.

“It makes sense to me because everything is within cycling distance of our central kitchen and bakery. When we first looked at it, the cost of a cargo bike was high and we didn’t have secure storage, so we were worried about it being stolen. So instead we now hire cargo bikes when we need them.”

Find more details about hiring a bike. 

Page last updated: 19 October 2023