West Oxford Electric Cargo Bike Hire 

Cutting carbon and carrying more in West Oxford. Low Carbon West Oxford received a grant of £5,000 towards an electric cargo bike hire scheme.

The challenge 

To ease congestion on local roads and improve air quality in West Oxford and the City Centre by offering an alternative, low carbon mode of transport that could replace short car journeys and be used for small deliveries.    

The goal   

To purchase an electric cargo bike and a secure storage hangar in a location that would  be accessible to members of the West Oxford community and small businesses, to rent on an affordable hourly basis. 

What happened?  

• Low Carbon West Oxford (LCWO) received support from West Oxford Community Association who offered a suitable site for the cargo bike and secure hangar in front of West Oxford Community Centre – a central and popular location for local people and families, which has already stimulated interest and excitement in the project. 
• Oxford Direct Services installed the base for the cycle hangar to meet local planning requirements.  
• The secure hangar was purchased and installed using the grant from Low Carbon Hub and charging points are being installed. 
• An AirKey system is being set up which can provide round the clock access.  
• LCWO are borrowing different types of electric cargo bikes from other organisations and letting people try them out before deciding which model to purchase. 

Impact   

• Positive feedback has been received from the local community who are looking forward to hiring the electric cargo bike for short journeys instead of using a car.  
• ‘Have a go’ trial sessions held at community events have gone well and had a very positive response. 
• A local business has indicated they would be keen to hire the cargo bike in place of using a van for local deliveries. 

We were delighted to recently hold a soft launch of our new hireable community electric cargo bike during our Earth Day celebration — a project made possible with the generous support of Low Carbon Hub. The soft launch was met with enthusiasm and great community engagement, with many attendees trying out the bike and registering their interest. A heartfelt thank you to Low Carbon Hub for your invaluable support and encouragement throughout this project! 

Maya Buchanan, Communications and Project Coordinator

What’s next?  

Low Carbon West Oxford hope to secure their own electric cargo bike, activate the booking system and hold a community launch event.  They also hope to install a second cargo bike to be located at Redbridge Park & Ride. 

Learn More

If you are a member of Low Carbon’s Hub Community Network and have an idea for a project that needs funding, find out about our latest grants available here.

For more inspiring stories of community-led action on climate change, visit Communities Stories.