March 30, 2022 - (Berlin, GER) Cargo bike sharing is on the rise across Europe. In more than 170 German municipalities cargo bike sharing systems already contribute to sustainable transport. A Dutch study shows that 72% of cargo bike sharing rentals replace car journeys. At the new polisMOBILITY conference in Cologne, the European pioneers of cargo bike sharing will come together for the first time.
The two-day Cargo Bike Sharing Europe conference includes expert presentations from England, France, the Netherlands, Switzerland and Germany, among others. The conference language is English.
The conference opening will be led by Cologne’s Councillor for Mobility, Ascan Egerer. Deputy Director-General for Mobility of the EU Commission, Matthew Baldwin, will stress the importance of sustainable transport for the European Green Deal. The German Federal Ministry of Digital and Transport’s Dr. Diana Huster will present results from their recent bicycle monitor survey, according to which 28% of the German population are interested in cargo bike sharing.
Variety of operators
The whole spectrum of cargo bike sharing providers is represented in the conference programme: from specialised cargo bike sharing start-ups, to the non-commercial commons cargo bike movement, to large bike rental system providers.
“Cargo bikes are a global mega-trend,” states Tobias Lochen from the German company sigo, which offers station-based e-cargo bike sharing in cooperation with housing companies. “We need knowledge exchange on smart sharing concepts to further advance the spread of cargo bikes focusing on fair access for all.”
The European cargo bike sharing provider Cargoroo from Amsterdam operates a fleet of more than 500 e-cargo bikes in four countries. “A recent user study has illustrated that 72% of our cargo bike trips replace car journeys,” reports Cargoroo founder Erik de Winter. “This demonstrates the considerable potential for cargo bike sharing to contribute to our transition towards a zero-carbon transport system, which we would like to discuss with cities in particular at the conference.”
Municipalities as key players
Municipalities are a key player in expanding and enabling cargo bike sharing. In the conference programme, municipal representatives from London, Strasbourg and Kiel will report on the development of their municipal cargo bike sharing systems.
However, cargo bike sharing is not limited to big cities. The project Klimaentlaster from Austria is presenting a new cargo bike sharing guide book aimed specifically at smaller municipalities. Additionally, Regensburg-based cargo bike provider feine Räder will be presenting its Donau Donkeys service and infrastructure solutions, which enables comfortable cargo bike sharing also in smaller communities.
Advice for cities on cargo bike sharing is provided by the TINK network which is funded by the federal transport ministry. The EU-funded CityChangerCargoBike project also supports implementing cargo bike sharing in its 14 partner cities. Both projects are among the partners of the conference and will present their work.
Other conference partners include the City of Cologne, Bundesverband Zukunft Fahrrad, Forum Freie Lastenräder and Cycling Industries Europe. The conference is organised by Berlin-based sustainable mobility agency and cargo bike project developer cargobike.jetzt.
Two conference days
The conference lectures will take place on 19 May at the Koelnmesse Congress Center as part of the new polisMOBILITY trade fair. The fair sees itself as a driver of the mobility revolution for both the private and public sector.
The conference will kick off the previous day (18 May) with an activity and networking day. There will be cargo bike sharing to try out at the polisMOBILITY cityHUB. During the fair, the cityHUB will transform Cologne’s central Hohenzollernring into an exhibition area and test track for bicycles. An evening networking event will take place at Cologne-based cargo bike manufacturer Muli-Cycles.
Conference tickets HERE
(press accreditation via the conference team → contacts below)
Conference website HERE
polisMOBILITY cityHUB HERE
