Last mile delivery is a polluting process when done by a car in a busy city. When done by bike, It’s extremely hard work. Vok Bikes uses the best of both worlds, making last-mile deliveries sustainable without sacrificing delivery capacity or comfort. Vok achieves this with their unique and intuitive electric cargo bike.
Today, cycle couriers have become an integral part of city landscapes. There is no better way to deliver small parcels, such as food, drinks, flowers etc with high traffic during the peak hours, shortage of parking spaces, car-free zones and short distances between destinations. But deliveries can be also large parcels that weigh dozens of kilograms and that’s when Vok’s cargo bikes come to rescue.
How did it start?
The founders met at TalTech University, where they worked as a team on a Student Formula project. Enthusiastic about building something with their own hands, in 2018, they started their first business that offered engineering services. During the experience of sharing their knowledge with others, they got a thorough understanding of the mobility market. It was time to do something for themselves. And so Vok Bikes was born.
The Vok team felt that future would be in the field of e-mobility, and despite the mature market of e-bikes and e-scooters, one essential element was missing – the e-cargo bike which could transport goods on a larger scale. Currently, the Vok cargo bikes operate in Tallinn, Vilnius, and London, but very soon in many additional markets as well – stay tuned and check out their blog.
Benefits across the board
Fast, accessible, sustainable, and simply cool – we cannot imagine a better combination for last mile delivery. For the full list of benefits of Vok’s bikes, take a glance at the main differences between a car, a bike and a Vok cargo bike.
Have you thought about that the right delivery vehicle affects courier earnings and well-being? Well, smart couriers keep their costs as low as possible while picking the most efficient vehicle for the job.
According to Vok’s comparative study on courier net earnings, a courier would gain 1542 €/month of net earnings, whereas a car courier would gain up to hundreds less. The difference is caused by fuel costs, time spent in congestion, and expensive parking. With a bike, the spend is lower, but the revenue is significantly lower as well, and the couriers often end up exhausted due to exercise and challenging weather conditions.
Satisfied customers’ feedback
Within a brief time, since Vok Bikes launched in 2020, the company managed to enter strong partnerships with international delivery services companies. Some of the examples include Omniva, Wolt and Stuart Delivery.
Omniva is using Vok Bikes for delivery in Tallinn and elsewhere since January 2021. The Estonian national postal company, also delivering internationally, confirms that cargo bikes are the most efficient for delivery trips with short distances and numerous stops. According to Omniva, comparable routes with similar distance and number of deliveries, take the least time with Vok bikes, beating foot couriers by 40% and car couriers by 20% in efficiency.
Wolt is delivering food with Voks in Vilnius since August 2021. The international food delivery platform partnered with Vok after a successful testing period and admitted that Vok had helped to improve both courier efficiency and earnings. Currently, Wolt operates in 5 cities in Lithuania: Kaunas, Klaipėda, Panevėžys, Vilnius, and Šiauliai. According to Wolt, using Vok is more effective than using regular bikes or even cars.
Recently Vok entered the UK market, announcing its partnership with Stuart delivery, the tech logistics company specialising in the same-day delivery. Stuart is offering its couriers Vok’s electric cargo bikes through an on-demand short-term rental model. Voks are available to couriers in Shoreditch and the surrounding areas.
Vok Bikes is experiencing tremendous growth and the company has launched the construction of a new factory to meet the demands of the fast-growing market. The new factory, which is expected to open at the end of 2022, will hold a capacity of producing 20 000 cargo bikes per year! Vok plans to increase its 35-member team 2 to 3 times this year, hiring people for the new production unit as well as for operations, finance, sales, and marketing.
Sunly – being one of the investors of Vok Bikes, is happy to be a part of the journey. 😉