Milton Keynes Council leases first e-cargo bike

MK Council leases first e-cargo bike to Olney entrepreneur and start-up

Milton Keynes Council has leased its first fully electric e-cargo bike to a female entrepreneur who launched an online marketplace for local businesses in Olney during the pandemic.

MK Council secured funding from the Department for Transport to purchase 21 e-cargo bikes last year.  Since then, council tree inspectors and landscape officers have been using some of the bikes in their day-to-day duties and 12 are being made available for lease to local businesses.  The three remaining e-cargo bikes were donated to a local food redistribution charity in December.

The council has leased its first e-cargo bike to Olney entrepreneur and business owner Helen Knight, founder of RySync Deliveries which she launched during the pandemic as more people recognised the importance of shopping locally.  ReSync is an online market place of local shops, traders and businesses that also provides a door-to-door delivery service, which will now largely be able to be completed using the council’s leased e-cargo bike; reducing the use of harmful vans and cars and cutting the business’ impact on the environment.

Cllr Jenny Wilson-Marklew, Cabinet Member for Climate Action and Sustainability said: “We’re delighted to be supporting ReSync Deliveries with the lease of our first e-cargo bike.

“Milton Keynes is a world-leader in green technology and MK Council has set out its ambitions for MK to become zero-carbon by 2030.  Projects and initiatives like this, along with the enthusiastic support of local businesses, will all help us on that journey to a cleaner, greener city.”

Helen Knight, owner of ReSync Deliveries said: “I’m so excited to start using the e-cargo bike to complete my local deliveries, and I’m grateful to the council for providing me with this opportunity.  My business (www.resyncdeliveries.co.uk) is committed to reducing the environmental impact of shopping habits and make it easier for people in the Olney area to shop locally using carbon-free deliveries.”

Local business are encouraged to find out more about MK Council’s e-cargo bike lease scheme or by contacting cycling@milton-keynes.gov.uk.

To find out more about green transport initiatives in Milton Keynes, visit the council’s new Get Around MK website and follow @GetAroundMK on social media.