A NEW scheme has launched in Southampton and Eastleigh which will see a fleet of electric cargo bikes made available.

The Realising Innovative Deliveries in Southampton and Eastleigh (RIDES) scheme has now launched making cargo bikes available to the areas businesses and organisations to trial.

RIDES has been launched by Southampton City Council, in partnership with Eastleigh Borough Council and comes after an almost £50,000 grant was awarded from the Government’s eCargo Bike Grant Fund.

This has been used to purchase five Tern GSD S00 e-bikes and five Urban Arrow flatbed e-bikes equipped with lockable boxes capable of carrying up to 100kg.

Pete Boustred, Divisional Head of Green City and Infrastructure Growth at Southampton City Council said the project provides the opportunity for organisations to “trial sustainable alternatives to traditional delivery methods”.

“While they might not be practical for all businesses, the scheme provides the opportunity for companies to try out new delivery methods and assess whether they can be incorporated into their business models in the future.”

The eCargo bikes will be available for organisations to try out for free with delivery service, Zedify Southampton responsible for maintaining the bikes and managing the scheme.

David Munday, owner of Zedify Southampton, said: “We passionately believe that zero emission delivery via electric cargo bikes is the right answer for so many businesses in the Southampton and Eastleigh area.”