The City of Boston's employees have a new ride in town - e-cargo bikes. Kicked off by the Boston Transportation's New Mobility division in August 2023, the program has since seen city employees pedal over 450 miles on these electric-assist bikes. According to Boston.gov, the addition of e-cargo bikes aims to reduce municipal carbon emissions, in line with the Climate Action Plan update released by the Environment Department in fall 2019.
Not only are these bikes helping to lessen the carbon footprint, but they're also coming equipped with accessories like waterproof bags, and cell phone holders, all to better serve the needs of Boston’s city workers. This program is riding on the momentum of the city's previous climate change efforts, which included the electric-assist cargo trike named Knox launched back in 2020. The team has found these bikes especially handy when they need to quickly transport materials across town – from heavy loads to equipment for bike repair events.
The Boston Bikes program members have been actively using these e-cargo bikes throughout various neighborhoods, helping them to host repair events and more. "Since launching in August 2023, employees have ridden over 450 miles -- that's the distance from Boston's City Hall to Washington DC’s City Hall," the city announced proudly.
With Go Boston 2030’s objective to encourage low-emission travel modes, the program has opened up to all city employees who need to attend meetings, conduct site visits or perform any other job-related tasks. The idea is to help employees to quickly adapt to and embrace a more sustainable way of moving around, particularly for tasks that might have otherwise relied on cars. As stated on Boston.gov, "these e-cargo bikes are available to any city employee for attending meetings across town, conducting site visits, or any other task related to their job."
