UPS trials powered bike trailer for London deliveries

UPS is testing power-assisted delivery trailers pulled by bicycles in a ‘Low Impact City Logistics Project’, which is designed to reduce traffic congestion and emissions.

The trial will take place from the Kentish Town depot, and will feature bike trailers making deliveries in and around Camden in November and December. Packages will be loaded onto payload boxes at the depot and delivered by a single trailer to a central hub located within a busy urban area. The boxes are distributed from the hub via power-assisted trailers. The packages are then delivered to homes and businesses by bicycle or on foot.

The project is a partnership of five organisations: UPS, Fernhay, Skotkonung, University of Huddersfield, and Outspoken Delivery.

“Low Impact City Logistics is a collaborative project that could revolutionize the way we deliver packages in our cities,” said Peter Harris, director of sustainability, UPS Europe. “UPS has a long history of developing, deploying and promoting the use of more sustainable technology and delivery methods – and this collaboration will facilitate a one-of-a-kind urban delivery solution.”