Electric cargo bikes will be delivering thousands of packages across Croydon, England, every day, taking traditional delivery vans off the town’s roads, alleviating city traffic congestion, and helping improve air quality.
Croydon is among the first Amazon locations in the UK to use electric cargo bikes, following launches in Wembley, Southwark, Shoreditch, Manchester and Glasgow. Electric cargo bikes and on-foot deliveries are now operational from hubs in more than 20 cities across the UK and Europe.
“We’re excited to open the new micromobility hub at our Croydon delivery station as part of our commitment to our customers and our sustainability goals,” said James Partridge, Amazon Croydon Delivery Station Manager. “This new hub will help us to reduce the number of vehicles on the roads around Croydon while also bringing more electric-powered deliveries to our customers in South London.”
Part of a five-year, £300 million investment in the electrification and decarbonisation of Amazon’s UK transportation network, electric cargo bikes and walkers are now expected to make around 2.5 million deliveries to Amazon customers across the UK every year.
“It’s really exciting to work with Amazon to bring electric cargo bikes to Croydon,” said Asad Jillani, director of Falcon Transport and Logistics – one of Amazon’s Delivery Service Partners (DSP) in Croydon. “We’re looking forward to making many more sustainable deliveries as we approach the holiday season.”
More than 1,000 electric delivery vans are already in Amazon’s operation on UK roads, in addition to nine fully electric heavy goods vehicles, the first in Amazon’s fleet, which have replaced traditional diesel trucks.
Amazon is the co-founder of and the first signatory to The Climate Pledge, a commitment to reach net-zero carbon by 2040. With more than 400 signatories, including more than 100 from the UK alone, the Pledge signatories are working together on initiatives to preserve the natural world and invest in decarbonising technologies. As the largest corporate purchaser of renewable energy globally and in the UK, in 2022, 90% of electricity consumed by Amazon globally was powered by renewable energy sources, thanks to more than 400 wind and solar projects around the world.
In 2022, Amazon announced its largest renewable energy commitment in the UK to date – the Moray West Wind Farm – with 350 MW installed capacity. It is expected to inject up to £500 million into the local economy throughout its lifespan, and during construction will create and support more than 1,000 jobs, with 70 long-term operational roles. The project also supports a number of local education and training goals, including transitioning of skilled workforce from the oil and gas sector, an apprentice programme, PhD sponsorships focused on environmental matters, and an intern programme.
Delivery stations
Delivery stations power the last mile of Amazon’s order process and help speed up deliveries for customers. Packages are shipped to a delivery station from neighbouring Amazon fulfilment and sortation centres, loaded into delivery vehicles and delivered to customers.
Amazon’s Croydon delivery station is an 11,000 square metre building which opened in May 2022 and employs more than 150 employees to process customer orders.
Pay for Amazon employees at the delivery station in Croydon starts at £12.50 per hour and employees are offered a comprehensive benefits package, including private medical insurance, life assurance, income protection and an employee discount.
The team at Amazon in Croydon supports the local community through donations and volunteering opportunities. Organisations supported by Amazon in Croydon in 2023 include a £1,000 donation to Croydon Food Bank, as well as donations to Comic Relief and Sutton Food Bank.
