Number of cargo bikes in London

A report from Transport for London shows that the number of cargo bikes, used for last-mile deliveries in central London, rose by 54% in 2023 over the previous year, there is now a total of 6,998 cargo bikes from 54 companies making deliveries in central London.

Across Greater London, the total number of cargo bikes has increased by 63% from 9.185 to 14,929. 

Transport for London believes that up to 17% of van miles in parts of London could be replaced by cargo bikes by 2030, this equates to 62 million miles per annum and savings of approx. 30,000 tonnes of CO2. 

Once a company swaps over to cargo bikes delivery efficiency is essential to ensure that deliveries are realistic and achievable for the cyclist.  Descartes’ route optimisation and delivery scheduling platform has the ability to calculate routes for cargo bikes as well as other types of vehicles. The routing software takes into account roads, cycleways and shorts cuts allowed to be used by pedal-powered vehicles. A good example of this is PostNl who have used cargo bikes in Amsterdam for some time.  Importantly, routes for bicycles and routes for motorised vehicles can be combined and real-time traffic information added ensuring the most optimal vehicle is used for each delivery. 

To discover more about route optimisation and last-mile deliveries for cargo bikes complete the contact us form and one of our logistics experts will be in touch.