RIPPL #18: Subsidised e-Cargo Bikes in Maastricht

A pilot scheme in Maastricht is allowing entrepreneurs and businesses to try out electric cargo bikes for free. Maastricht Bereikbaar (”Accessible Maastricht”, the city transport authority which is a collaboration between several government bodies, the local Municipality, the Province of Limburg and local businesses with an interest in logistics) is giving local initiatives the chance to test e-cargo bikes for six months.

How does it work? Firstly, businesses buy or lease the e-cargo bikes themselves. In order to qualify for 100% reimbursement up to a maximum of €4000, participating businesses must make at least 4 journeys per day in and around the Maastricht area during the six month trial period. To ensure this condition is met, Maastricht Bereikbaar fits each e-cargo bike with a GPS tracker, which also provides valuable data about user behaviour.

In August 2017 major works which will close the Noorderbrug, one of Maastricht’s main river crossings, so one of the scheme’s stated aims is to reduce traffic in Maastricht in anticipation of the disruption caused during this period. Therefore another requirement is that the e-cargo bike purchased replaces trips that would otherwise be taken by trucks or vans.

LEVV-LOGIC, a research project focussing on using light electric vehicles for freight, will evaluate the GPS data generated as well as the experiences of users, treating the trial as a Living Lab (we’ve covered CityServiceBike, another LEVV-LOGIC Living Lab in a previous post).

Innovations: Public sector involvement as a catalyst, traffic reduction