By Larry Claasen
CRAIG Atkinson, a serial entrepreneur, first became aware of e-bikes and their potential for an e-bike delivery service while on a trip to the US in 2017.
Initially, the plan was to sell e-bikes, but the COVID-19 pandemic shifted the focus to delivery services due to a surge in e-commerce and demand from local restaurants.
“I had no idea it was going to be a delivery bike. We just bought electric bikes. During COVID, obviously, my other business took a huge knock during the shutdown.”
The lockdowns created an opportunity for an e-bike delivery service, as people could not leave their homes and unlike with motorbikes and scooters, delivery people did not need a licence to operate them.
E-bike delivery service thrives amid COVID-19 surge
This was an opportunity Atkinson could not ignore. “Let’s give it a go and see if there’s the legs for an electric vehicle like this in the South African market.”
The subsequent demand for an e-bike delivery service surprised him. Large corporations like MTN, Bank Zero, Mr D, Uber Eats and Pick n Pay have signed up as partners.
E-bike delivery service partners with major SA corporations
Green Riders makes money two ways. The delivery riders are charged a rental and services for the bike. The platforms in turn play the riders for making deliveries.
Green Riders used to have a bike supplier, but it now designs its own bikes, builds them in Cape Town, and sources its parts from around the world.
Innovation drives e-bike delivery service sustainability
The group will soon launch its latest battery technology, and new 2-wheeler
EVs, which Atkinson’s will be substantially more sustainable.
“The current batteries we’ve got, unfortunately, in our first generation fleets, are NMC batteries, but we purposely chose not to scale to the tens of thousands until we found a more sustainable solution.”
The concept of recyclability goes beyond the batteries as the bike’s 15 components are designed to be reused.
“Even if a bike has been in an accident, you’ll only ever have to replace one, maximum two parts of that bike at any given time. So we always recycle our bikes.”
Though Atkinson says there are always ups and downs when it comes to pioneering the establishment of a new industry, it has still managed to create about 2 000 jobs in three years and is planning to expand to other cities across the country.
The eventual ambition is to create 50 000 jobs through the e-bike delivery service.
E-bike delivery service transforms lives and careers
One of the most rewarding aspects of creating Green Riders is seeing how it has transformed people’s lives, says Atkinson. People go from being unemployed to earning as much as R5 000 a week.
Doing deliveries also exposes them to new opportunities as they start to network and make connections with people running restaurants and stores. This sees them leaving Green Riders and taking up new jobs.
“Some of them are now supervisors at supermarkets, and a lot started their own businesses.”
