Green logistics firm Zedify has opened a Bristol delivery hub from which a fleet of electric cargo bikes and trikes will operate. The system will see HGVs and vans dropping off goods before entering the city centre and will also provide local businesses with a sustainable same-day local delivery option.

Zedify has received a £100,000 grant from Bristol City Council, which is aiming to have 95% of deliveries within the city centre made by electric vehicles within 10 years.

Councillor Kye Dudd, Cabinet Member with responsibility for Transport, said: “Removing polluting vehicles from our city centre is vital to help us tackle the issue of air quality in Bristol.

“We want to continue to reduce the number of heavy goods vehicles entering the city and encourage onward journeys to be done by zero-emission vehicles. This will help us improve air quality and contribute to our goal of becoming carbon neutral by 2030.”

The money will be invested in a fleet of electric cargo bikes, trikes and four-wheelers which will operate from a depot at the edge of the city centre.

Zedify says that most of its deliveries are made using cargo trikes capable of carrying up to 250kg, but which are compact enough for use on cycle infrastructure and to be wheeled in pedestrian areas.

Open Street Maps analysis of jobs undertaken by another e-cargo bike delivery firm, Pedal Me, last year, revealed that cargo bike trips were 6% shorter than the equivalent motor vehicle trips would have been.

Zedify also says it can make its routes more efficient by combining its same-day local delivery service with national deliveries carried out in partnership with other carriers.

Zedify Bristol’s Managing Director, Simon Whitehead, said: “At Zedify we are proud to be shaking things up, not only through our green delivery model but also by paying all our staff a real Living Wage. Bristol businesses now have a truly ethical, sustainable and cost effective option for sending and receiving packages.”