Boosted by a £2.1 million seed-funding round, Bolt Bikes have launched in the UK with an e-bike aimed at delivery couriers that they say "offers the fastest vehicle for last mile delivery". The bikes are rented for a weekly fee, and Deliveroo have already got behind Bolt as launch partners.
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Bolt say this is the first scheme of its kind in the world for electric vehicles, and the contract for couriers is week-to-week which means no monthly or annual subscriptions. The price is £35.99, and for that you get a bike with plenty of battery capacity, a high-security lock, integrated light and front and rear racks for making deliveries. There is also a no risk trial to start off with a full refund available after seven days if the courier isn't satisfied, and there's also the option to buy the bike with a 12 month payment plan.
Bolt's main seed funding investor Maniv Mobility pumped a large proportion of the £2.1 million raised to start the operation, with their Principal Prescott Watson commenting: “More than just helping couriers make a better living, Bolt is solving our cities' growing congestion and traffic safety problems by moving deliveries from cars and vans onto clean, space-efficient Light Electric Vehicles.
“As e-commerce deliveries grow, we're expecting Bolt's platform to become the preferred solution for logistics players in the coming years."
Bolt was co-founded by former Deliveroo executive Mina Nada in 2017, and his former company have got on board as launch partners. Harrison Foster of Deliveroo said: “Deliveroo is proud to be one of Bolt’s launch partners, offering a zero-emission mode of transport for our riders to deliver great food to Londoners quickly.”
Bolt aims to increase its fleet tenfold by 2020, and plans to expand across more cities in the UK, the US and Australia in the future. For more info, check out Bolt's website.
