Europcar has increased the use of electric bikes to improve the efficiency of its vehicle delivery and collection service, working in partnership with automotive solutions provider, Autoclenz.

Transport for London (TfL) and LOCOG have advised that, as much as possible, travellers should use public transport from mid-July through to September. But there will still be businesses and individuals that need the flexibility of being in their own vehicle, and Europcar believes hiring for specific journeys in and around London may be more convenient than people driving their own vehicles into the capital.

Europcar has partnered with automotive solutions provider, Autoclenz, for over 3 years, exploiting the efficiency and environmental benefits of the electric bikes used by Autoclenz delivery staff. Now, Autoclenz will be adding more delivery agents to carry out vehicle deliveries and collections on behalf of Europcar, using electric bikes across the capital. The electric bikes can be folded up and put into the boot of a car, enabling Autoclenz agents to deliver a hire vehicle on behalf of Europcar, retrieve the bike and slip through traffic to collect the next vehicle without delay or adding to congestion.

“There’s no question that getting around London during July and August will be more challenging”, said Ken McCall, managing director, Europcar UK Group. “But for some businesses and individuals there’s just no way to avoid using their vehicles rather than public transport. Our goal is to do as much as possible to make these journeys as stress-free, without adding to the congestion with our own delivery and collection vehicles.

“Working in partnership with Autoclenz, their delivery and collection agents will be able to get around more quickly than if they were on 4 wheels, especially around the more congested areas. This is part of our commitment to delivering the same quality service to our customers during this intensely busy period.

“Our partnership with Autoclenz is also an important part of our ‘Green Pledge’, helping us reduce fuel consumption and CO2 emissions. The electric bikes are light, clean and easy to load into vehicles.”

Deryck Worrall, director of Autoclenz adds: “We are investing in more electric bikes for our business as a whole as part of our commitment to a greener service. And through our partnership with Europcar we are pleased to be helping the market leader deliver a high quality customer experience, particularly when we know getting around London will be at its most challenging.”