DC, Columbus Bike Share Fleets Introduce Cargo Bikes

Bike share systems in Columbus, Ohio and Washington, D.C. will soon let customers rent cargo bikes, reports Skip Descant in GovTech.

“Columbus’ newest transportation offering is electric cargo bikes provided by Veo, the city’s micromobility operator. The bikes, known as the Apollo Cargo, can carry up to 100 pounds of cargo and will be introduced this month. They include front and rear baskets, throttle-assist motor to eliminate having to pedal, and a cellphone holder with Bluetooth-enabled speakers.” In D.C., CaBi will roll out the same bike model this summer.

According to Paige Miller, Veo’s senior manager for policy and communications, “These cities have laid the groundwork with infrastructure — protected bike lanes, curb management programs, and supportive policies — that make it safe and convenient to ride.” In Columbus, “Interest clearly seems to be trending toward the electrified modes of micromobility. By the end of last year, about one-third of the the city’s bike-share fleet was electric, while the other two-thirds were conventional bikes.”

Expanding the types of bikes and scooters available is a natural extension of shared mobility’s “growing up:” as Descant puts it, “morphing into the kinds of practical vehicles that can haul home a bag of groceries or other items, establishing these devices as essential pieces of urban mobility.”