The First Year-Round UPS Bike Delivery Route Arrives in Pittsburgh

The electric bicycles appeared in Portland last year, but Pittsburgh will get the company's first dedicated non-truck delivery route.

1 minute read

November 15, 2017, 12:00 PM PST

By Katharine Jose

A UPS delivery bike at rest in Rome, Italy. | Cineberg / Shutterstock

Less than a year ago, UPS announced it would begin using electric bicycles for some delivery routes in Portland, Oregon.

The famously bike-friendly city with a mild climate was a fairly obvious choice for the U.S. debut of vehicles the company has employed in Europe for quite some time.

But UPS just announced a more ambitious plan for year-round e-bike routes in Pittsburgh, where alternative modes of transportation are more controversial and winters can be long and hard.

If successful, it's not hard to imagine that "the pedal-powered cart" that can "can hold up to 15-20 packages and up to 400 pounds of cargo" will appear in more U.S. cities before long; UPS already has a plan to send them to Toronto.

FULL STORY: Pittsburgh becomes first U.S. city with year-round UPS bike-delivery route

Wednesday, November 15, 2017 in Pittsburgh City Paper

Energy Environment Infrastructure Transportation Urban Development United States Pennsylvania Pittsburgh United Parcel Service (UPS) electric bicycle bicycle delivery View More

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