Whether to save time, money or protect the environment, bicycles are now encroaching on the territory of four-wheelers. A look at the situation in Montreal.

In 2008, "aliens" landed in Montreal and offered a bike moving service. Today, Déménagement Myette employs up to 16 movers during peak season and has just acquired a 100% electric truck.

If they now go almost unnoticed, it's because cycle logistics companies have multiplied recently, benefiting from a socio-economic context conducive to their growth.

With the COVID-19 pandemic, the importance of supporting local purchasing has increased, which has encouraged entrepreneurs who use bicycles. And for good reason: the logistics chain involves its share of absurdities. "A Rosemont business that delivers to a customer in its borough with Canada Post sees its package travel an unnecessary 25 km, via the Saint-Laurent warehouse, when it could be delivered by bike for less, more quickly and more ecologically," illustrates Vincent Dussault, strategic transport advisor at Coop Carbone.

According to calculations by Transportation Research Procedia, the last mile accounts for 30% to 60% of delivery costs. And the use of cargo bikes, which can carry over 200 kg of packages, reduces operational costs by 12% to 14%.

It's no surprise that small local bike transport companies are now competing with the world's largest delivery companies on certain routes. "With advances in batteries and traffic difficulties, the electric bike is now the fastest mode of transport over short and medium distances," emphasizes Mr. Dussault.

The company La roue libre, along with Courant Plus and Livraison Vélo Montréal, participates in local delivery projects for small Montreal businesses.

Photo: Coop de vélologistique La roue libre

Cycle Logistics Inc.

At the Îlot Voyageur site, repurposed as a package delivery logistics platform, the electric trikes of giant Purolator rub shoulders with the cargo bikes of small Montreal entrepreneurs. And expansion is on the menu.

"New players want to use this transshipment platform to bring their packages by van, before having them delivered by bike to their customers," explains Mickael Brard, urban mobility advisor at Jalon. According to data collected by the non-profit organization, a two-wheeler can make 15% more stops per hour because it is more agile in downtown congestion and can stop almost anywhere.

On a smaller scale, Mr. Brard also recommends creating mini transshipment centers in neighborhoods, where packages would transit, which would optimize bike delivery rounds.

During the lockdown imposed by the COVID-19 pandemic, the organization Jalon, accompanied by partners, developed a local bike delivery system for businesses forced to close but able to sell their merchandise online.

In light of this experience, Mickael Brard indicates that if the number of merchants involved in this adventure is sufficient to optimize delivery routes, it is possible to achieve a delivery cost of less than $9, which is more competitive than the price of traditional delivery. In addition, this bike delivery system is more ecological and avoids the Uberization of the bike courier profession.

LocoMotion's trailers allow people to grocery shop by bike, convincing owners hesitant to free up their car on weekends.

Photo: Laurent Lewis

Non-commercial initiatives

The Montreal ecosystem also includes non-commercial initiatives such as LocoMotion , a car and bike-sharing system among neighbors, led by the organization Solon.

After two years of experimentation in two sectors of Petite-Patrie, the concept has expanded to three areas of Ahuntsic-Cartierville. Currently, 261 participants share 29 vehicles, including 12 cars and 13 trailers. Three electric bikes and three cargo bikes will soon be added to the new booking platform. "In addition to promoting mobility, we aim for citizen appropriation, the creation of social ties, and ecological transition," says Milan Guérin, project manager at Solon.

In these communities united around cycling, we can then witness the emergence of collective kitchens, tool-sharing systems, and even participatory construction sites through which back alleys are cleaned and bike shelters are created.

The bicycle as a vector for transmitting solidarity between neighbors – who would have thought!