Pollokshields project is helping the planet one delivery at a time

Pollokshields-based Soulriders has a target to save an estimated 165 tons of carbon over the next three years to help improve city’s air quality.

An award of over £140,000 from SP Energy Networks’ Green Economy Fund enabled the purchase of five e-cargo bikes in August 2020, with the project having made ‘last mile’ deliveries to well over 100 food initiatives and travelled an estimated distance of nearly 200km.

‘Last mile’ delivery services are drop-offs within a local area, with multiple stops they are often the most expensive and polluting, but the SoulRiders e-cargo bikes provide a solution.

SP Energy Networks is part of the ScottishPower group, a Principal Partner for the United Nations climate change conference (COP26) which will be held in Glasgow later this year.

The e-cargo bikes were funded by SP Energy Networks’ £20million Green Economy Fund, which supports Glasgow’s mission to become the UK’s first Net Zero emissions city by 2030 and the Scottish Government’s ambitious plans to meet climate change targets.

SoulRiders’ vision is to create a stronger, healthier and more active community through cycling. The community-led organisation aims to continue to tackle social issues such as food poverty and is currently making zero-emission deliveries for ‘MILK Café’s Work From Home Lunches’, a social enterprise set up to empower and support refugee and migrant women living in Glasgow.

Rashid Khaliq, chief executive of SoulRiders, said: “Thanks to funding from the Green Economy Fund, the project is not only reducing carbon emissions and combatting air pollution in the city but also, providing an accessible solution to businesses and communities to tackle climate change. The e-cargo bikes are great way to remind our communities that we are in a climate emergency as well as inspiring others to do what they can to help.

“In addition to tackling climate change, the project will also be supporting New Scots (refugees and asylum seekers) by transporting surplus good food to food share initiatives. We hope that the project can give the people of Glasgow some pride that their city is already taking steps to a net-zero future.”