Following the success of its bike delivery operations in Nuremberg and Hamburg, DPD Germany has expanded its operation to the city of Heilbronn, with Berlin, Munich and Stuttgart set to follow later this year. The operator has made over 80,000 deliveries on bicycles to date.
Since the start of the Nuremberg pilot project, DPD has increased the number of transport bikes in operation from three to five. The bikes are based at a 130m² business facility in Nuremberg South, where parcels for the transport bikes are delivered by van every morning and then distributed among the bikes. The batteries of the bikes are also charged at the depot, with delivery personnel carrying a replacement battery with them at all times.
Gerd Seber, group manager sustainability and innovation at DPD Germany, said, “In the dense traffic of the inner city, the transport bike has developed into a real alternative to conventional delivery vehicles.
“In view of possible impending access restrictions, the development of such sustainable city logistics solutions is becoming ever more important. Our positive cooperation with the City of Nuremberg indicates that shared operational procedures adopted by the municipality and parcel services are good for everyone – not least for city center businesses and residents.”
The application of electrically assisted transport bikes requires analysis of suitable delivery areas, as well as the development of an individual logistics concept for the specific city. As a rule, the transport bikes need to be supplied from a centrally located micro-depot, as is the case in Nuremberg.
In Nuremberg South, five transport bikes and four conventional delivery vehicles operating jointly can now cover an area that was previously served by nine conventional vans. The transport bike is used in particular for recipients who only receive one or two parcels a day, while delivery drops involving a large number of parcels are served by a van.
Torsten Mendel, DPD depot manager in Nuremberg, commented, “Even in wintry conditions, we can fully rely on our transport bikes. However, operating entirely without conventional vehicles is not yet possible. We need the usual transporters not just to make deliveries to our micro-depot, but also to serve major business customers in the city center.
“In many of Nuremberg’s streets we can make deliveries much more efficiently with our highly maneuverable transport bikes than with large vehicles.”
April 10, 2018