OurBike: The UK’s largest community based e-cargo bike share scheme

The OurBike scheme, which offers electric cargo bikes for hire for just £3 an hour, currently has 45 OurBikes available for hire across 11 London boroughs and one in Saffron Walden.

OurBike aims to not only provide an alternative solution to a car but also aspires to enable better community connections through a highly locally focused approach to mobility.

• Founded in 2022, OurBike e-cargo bike share scheme is funded by local councils.
• Local residents and businesses can hire an e-cargo bike with the app for just £3 an hour.

Every one of the OurBikes is hosted by a local stakeholder (business, charity, org…) that makes sure to swap the batteries of the bike when needed, in exchange for having free access to it as well as having their branding featured on the bike.

Key Stats

• OurBike caters mostly to members aged 35-44 while usual bike services cater more to those 25-34.
• 49% of our members had never ridden a cargo bike before.
• 45% of OurBike users say their main barrier against using a cargo bike is affordability followed by storage.
• 64% of users report replacing a car with OurBike and 6% for a van.

OurBikes’ can simply be booked and hired with the OurBike app and offer:

• Extended range of 50km
• Front box weight limit of 100kg
• Load capacity of of 351L
• Rider weight limit of 100kg
• Rear rack weight limit of 25kg
• 562wh battery – carrier 4 type
• 9-speed drivetrain

App-based rental 

Making it easy to hire an OurBike, users simply download the app, sign up, and make sure to upload a photo of their ID – this takes care of account activation.

Once signed up, registered users can then book the OurBike of their choice, go to its host location, ride it and bring it back when they are done.

The OurBike community already uses bikes for a wide range of tasks, whether transporting people, carrying commercial tools and equipment, or going to a recycling centre.

This format of service and type of bike has proved to be successful not only in terms of logistics but also in how it has helped OurBike reach local communities – through local businesses who have a direct contact with them.

To find out more, visit https://ourbike.co.uk/