A fleet of £170,000 eco-friendly e-cargo bikes which Norwich businesses will be able to use to make deliveries arrives in the city this month.
The new scheme will see 11 of the vehicles available for city businesses to borrow - with council bosses saying they will help cut pollution and congestion.
Norfolk County Council has announced that it has awarded the contract to provide the e-cargo bikes to Cambridge-based Outspoken Cycles Ltd, in partnership with Zedify Norwich.
Businesses will be able to borrow the e-cargo bikes - electrically assisted bicycles, tricycles or quadricycles which can carry cargo - to deliver packages to homes and other businesses.
The £170,000 for the scheme has been secured from the government's £10.3m Air Quality Grant pot of cash for local councils to prevent pollution.
The council had hoped it would be up and running in the summer, but it was delayed.
But now the e-cargo bike pilot will launch from November 28 and run until the end of March 2025.
Businesses will be able to borrow an e-bike for free for up to a maximum of eight weeks to see if they could make the transition to a cargo bike permanently in the future.
The bike will be free to borrow for the agreed period with a security deposit required. The first 20 businesses to hire will pay a reduced deposit of £100, compared to the usual £250.
Graham Plant, Norfolk County Council cabinet member for highways, infrastructure and transport, said: “ We’re thrilled to have Outspoken Cycles Ltd operating the scheme on our behalf who with so much experience will no doubt be able to make the Norwich scheme a huge success.
"Taking diesel vehicles off the roads cuts air pollution.
"The bikes working five days a week could cut nitrogen dioxide and carbon emissions equivalent to those produced by around 10 vans each week.
"The bikes will be fitted with equipment to allow the precise emissions savings to be calculated."
Robert Hampton, general manager of Outspoken Cycles Ltd, which operates a similar scheme for Cambridgeshire County Council, said: "We are ecstatic to be able to deliver this project.
"It represents a critical opportunity for local businesses to experience all the advantages that come from using a cargo bike.
"E-cargo bikes are often overlooked as an alternative to vans, but they represent a low cost, low maintenance, easy to use and reliable local logistics solution."
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