You see them increasingly on the street. Babboe Pro's cargo delivery bikes. Available in different styles, there's a suitable option for every entrepreneur. But where did the cargo carrier bike come from? And why is this cargo delivery bike the best solution for business transport? We asked Wim Leder, Sales Manager at Babboe Pro. He's been with Babboe Pro from the beginning.
What's the reason someone should really opt for a Babboe Pro delivery bike? It's simple. Becausecities are filling up with traffic again, making it tough to get through with a car or delivery truck.
Where did the idea for Babboe Pro delivery bikes come from?
"From the beginning, when Babboe entered the market with their first cargo bikes for families, there's been a demand for cargo containers with a lid that can be used to transport goods. We did have a cargo bike with a lid at that time: the Babboe Transporter. This model was the basis for the Babboe Pro Trike.
We noticed that we kept getting the same question, from (among others) companies that wanted a cargo bike they could use for professional purposes. Larger postal services also started to ask us to develop cargo bikes for them, so we started a separate business for company cargo bikes. First under the working title Centaur Cargo, but now under the brand Babboe Pro."
Which customers are your target market?
"Our focus is naturally on professionals, especially urban professionals." In the busy city centers, these entrepreneurs are the first to face the challenges of transportation logistics, to which Babboe Pro offers a solution."
Who were the first big buyers?
"Beyond the first users of the Babboe cargo bikes with lids on which we first focused, the first large group of professional customers was mail carriers. They asked several cargo bike manufacturers, including us, to develop a bike for mail delivery. The Babboe Pro Trike XL, the delivery bike for mail and more, can be seen more and more often in cities here in the Netherlands."
What can you tell us about the current delivery bikes and how they are used?
"Delivery bikes are coming in more shapes and sizes than ever. At first, their primary function was to deliver packages. But other customers now also use cargo delivery bikes to perform on-location repairs, deliver food, sell ice cream, perform landscaping, carry trash, groceries, or supplies for sporting activities, or as "free" advertisement. I could go on; there are many more ways a cargo delivery bike can be used. My favorite remains the traveling physical therapist Olivier from Fysio2You,one of our first customers, who needed a way to travel to his clients around Amsterdam with his massage table."
What is being done to maintain and improve the current delivery bikes?
"We're doing pilot tests with current clients to improve the cargo delivery bikes. These tests allow us to gather data and insights that we can weigh logically. We also have discussions with our mechanics who visit our existing clients for maintenance, and listen to our maintenance partners and clients who contact us. And naturally we also work very closely with our engineering team, which is always growing."
Are there any plans to introduce new delivery bikes to the market?
"Of course! We find ourselves in a market we helped to create and develop, but we've only scratched the surface. The largest share of the market will be bikes and electric vehicles that don't yet exist, but that we're working with our partners to create."
Has the Covid-19 crisis affected your business?
"Definitely! Thanks to the Covid-19 situation, the use of cargo delivery bikes has taken off, also abroad. In the Netherlands because many businesses needed to implement home deliveries. And abroad because busy traffic in large cities, which normally makes biking inconvenient or even dangerous, suddenly thinned out enormously. Along with home deliveries, which also picked up abroad, this opened up many people's eyes."
Why should people purchase a Babboe Pro delivery bike?
"What's the reason someone should really opt for a Babboe Pro delivery bike? It's simple. Because cities are filling up with traffic again, making it tough to get through with a car or delivery truck. Plus, not only do cars and delivery trucks take up a lot of space, but they also emit CO2, nitrogen, and soot.This is why Zero Emission zones are being set up in cities. This means companies need to look for smarter, cleaner transportation. Making Babboe Pro delivery bikes a good alternative. And did I already say that delivering packages by bike is healthy and relaxing for the deliverer?
Babboe Pro is part of a global development of new smarter, cleaner forms of transport. This allows us, in my opinion, to make a contribution to the future."
Do you have more questions for our colleague Wim after reading this article? Get in touch using this contact form and he will respond.