Europcar Groupe SA, a France-based car rental company, will be using electric bikes to facilitate the delivery and collection of its hire cars during the London 2012 Olympics.
The company has renewed its pledge to cut down on carbon dioxide emissions and, at the same time, reduce traffic congestion and speed up its service, by providing its delivery operatives with electric bikes when delivering and collecting cars from customers. The bikes can be folded and put in the boot of a car when not in use. The service has been developed in collaboration with logistics company, AutoClenz.
Ken McCall, the managing director, Europcar UK Group, said, ‘There’s no question that getting around London during July and August will be more challenging. 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 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.’
Transport for London (TfL), a government body looking after transport services in Greater London, has advised tourists and residents of the city of London to use public transport as much as possible, until September, 2012.
The London 2012 Festival, a 12-week celebration for international travellers visiting London for the 2012 Olympics Games, has also urged Olympics fans to use bicycles or electric bikes to reach the Games venues.