Meals on wheels - Waitrose delivers groceries by bike

Ordering shopping online just got greener thanks to supermarket chain Waitrose and its new fleet of electric bikes.

Unlike the Royal Mail which, according to the CTC, recently sparked unofficial strike action from cycling posties against plans to use more shared vans for deliveries, the supermarket is returning to traditional delivery methods in a bid to reduce carbon emissions and traffic congestion.

Waitrose, in Bury St Edmunds, Suffolk, has become the first supermarket in the country to introduce an eco handcart pulled by electric bikes in a move that will also help boost the number of delivery slots available to customers, without increasing the number of vans on the road.

The specially designed eco-cart will be used by employees to deliver to customers’ homes within a mile of the branch and can keep products frozen and chilled for up to two hours.

The electric bikes have also been introduced to Waitrose branches in Lichfield, Parkstone and Droitwich following a successful trial last year in Cambridge.