Four businesses in the Fingal area are pedalling into the busy festive season with brand new eCargo bikes from Fingal County Council. These state of the art eCargo bikes are intended to replace the use of motor vehicles for local area deliveries. As part of its commitment to climate action and providing sustainable travel alternatives, Fingal County Council is providing the bikes free of charge to the businesses for 12 months.The initiative launched recently with delivery of the first two eCargo bikes to businesses in Malahide and Donabate with further launches happening next week in Rush and Blanchardstown. The bikes have been branded for each business and have been purchased by Fingal County Council. Maintenance of the bikes will be handled by Bleeper Bike for the duration of the pilot.David Storey, Director of Services for Environment, Climate Action and Active Travel, says throughout the next 12 months we will monitor how the bikes are used, what impact this switch to bike delivery has on how they do business and the impact on the environment compared to their usual delivery methods. We will also be getting regular feedback from the businesses themselves on how customers are responding.’ Amongst the businesses selected for the initial phase of the eCargo bike project are: The Village Garden Centre, Malahide, and the Altitude Coffee, Donabate.Hugh Cooney, CEO of Bleeper Bike, says he looks forward to building a picture of success as the bikes go into use. ‘Our eCargo bikes take advantage of the latest technology, they are lightweight and easy to manoeuvre so they are ideal for convenient local delivery. We will also gather data as they are used which will help us understand how the bike impacts the business and where and when they are best used. That data will help us plan for really successful adoption of eCargo delivery bikes.’