Pedal Me Explained

Pedal Me
Founders:	Benjamin Knowles Christopher Dixon Robert Sargent
Key People:	Benjamin Knowles (CEO) Russell Edwards (Head of Technology) Greg Holland (Head of Operations)
Industry:	Logistics and Pedicab
Location City:	London, U.K.
Foundation:	2017

Pedal Me is an e-cargo bike logistics company in London. The company was founded in 2017 by Benjamin Knowles, a transport planner, Rob Sargent, an astrophysicist and technologist, and Chris Dixon, a National Standards Instructor for Cycling.^{[1] [2] [3] [4] [5]}

The company normally operates within 9 miles of Central London,^[6] using bikes built by Urban Arrow in the Netherlands. The company offers cargo deliveries, which have significantly outstripped the number of journeys carrying passengers.^[7] In a trial run by TfL, the company's riders dropped off construction materials from Wood Green to Whitechapel faster than a van. The contractor plans to continue receiving deliveries by bike.^[8] In May 2019, the charity Sustrans decided to use Pedal Me to move all of their office equipment 2.7 miles across London.^[9]

The company employed 45 people in 2019 ^[10] and had 42 bikes in its fleet.^[11]

In February 2024, Pedalme entered administration wiping out all of its shareholders citing unpaid tax bills. The company was bought out of administration by a number of existing shareholders. ^[12]

Coronavirus lockdown

During the lockdown in April and May 2020, Pedal Me partnered with Lambeth Council to deliver 10,000 care packages to the individuals and families most in need. This was the largest operation conducted in Pedal Me's history, and perhaps the single largest e-cargo bike logistics operation in the UK. In total, the Pedal Me fleet covered over 20,000 km to distribute nearly 10,000 packages, moving around about 150,000 kg across the borough of Lambeth.^[13]

In December 2020, Pedal Me said that they were opening a 6,500sq ft warehouse in Zone 1 to support their freight operations.^[14] In February 2021, Pedal Me offered free rides to Londoners going to and from their Covid vaccinations.^[15]

Notes and References

1. Web site: Pedal Me hit £150,000 Crowdcube investment target - on day of launch party for crowdfunding drive . Road.cc . 14 November 2019.
2. Web site: Crowdcube: Pedal Me . 15 November 2019.
3. Web site: Smile-inducing Cargobike Taxi Service Crowdfunds To Capitalize On Growth . Forbes . 14 November 2019.
4. Web site: Meet the man who's taking on Uber – with his pushbike . Daily Telegraph . 14 November 2019.
5. Web site: Can bike taxis really compete with Uber? Pedal power vs petrol for the morning commute .
6. Web site: Our Service . Pedal Me . 14 November 2019.
7. Web site: Introducing Pedal Me: The startup going wheel-to-wheel with Uber . UK Tech News . 14 November 2019.
8. Web site: Bikes are starting to replace delivery vans in London . 15 May 2019 . My London . 14 November 2019.
9. Web site: 53-Person Charity Moves London Offices By Cargobike . Forbes . 14 November 2019.
10. Web site: Bicycle taxi company Pedal Me to offer free transport to polling stations . Cyclist . 14 November 2019.
11. Web site: Cargo bike logistics firm PedalMe crowdfunds (again) to meet rapid expansion. Mark. Sutton. November 27, 2019.
12. Web site: London cargo bike delivery company Pedal Me enters administration, but future secured. February 5, 2024.
13. Web site: Pedal Me x Lambeth Council during the Covid-19 lockdown: The logistics of delivering 10,000 care packages using e-cargo bikes. Nicolas. Collignon. September 8, 2020.
14. Web site: Pedal Power - Mobility Moments with Pedal Me CEO Ben Knowles. 11 December 2020.
15. Web site: Lime, Pedal Me partner to give Londoners free rides for vaccine appointments. 5 February 2021.