Social entrepreneurs launching tricycle cargo service
Contact:
Graham Anderson, Shift Delivery, 778.708.7977, graham.j.anderson@gmail.com
Loretta Laurin, Shift Delivery, 778.231.2866, loretta.laurin@gmail.com
Dixon Tam, SFU media relations, 778.782.8742, dixont@sfu.ca
Three Simon Fraser University students are part of a new green venture using cargo tricycles to transport goods in downtown Vancouver.
The trio, along with one student from BCIT and one from UBC, is preparing a May 1 launch for Shift Delivery Co-op, a for-profit cooperative business that is owned and operated by its workers. It will use special tricycles that are human-powered – with an electric-assist option – and can carry up to 600 pounds in cargo.
“We are offering a unique service,” explained Graham Anderson, one of Shift Delivery’s founding members, along with fellow SFU Sustainable Community Development students Loretta Laurin and Robyn Ashwell. “We will replace conventional delivery trucks and make daily goods deliveries in downtown Vancouver.”
“Shift's service has a number of advantages over existing delivery options. Our cargo tricycles are more efficient in the congested city core – the smaller size allows us to bypass gridlock and park virtually anywhere. We are also a zero-emissions, cycle-based delivery alternative and this is valuable to the many local companies that are taking steps to reduce their environmental impact.”
Shift's business plan was initially developed in a social-enterprise course at SFU. Companies such as Frogbox (moving supplies), Mills Basics (office supplies), Shirtland Drycleaners, and Brooks Corning (furniture) are interested in using Shift Delivery.
“We’re using the most appropriate, sustainable, and efficient technology for Vancouver's downtown,” said Laurin. “It’s very empowering to be a young person out in the business world involved in changing the way business is actually done.”
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