Project Partners

The first step in understanding the operations of each freight tricycle user was to conduct a detailed interview with each partner. The questions asked during this interview process are provided in Appendix A. The following sections summarize the general operations and interview results for each user.

4.1.1 City Bakery

City Bakery operates a local chain of green bakeries. The company has been in operation for 22 years, and now includes City Bakery and Birdbath Bakery locations throughout lower Manhattan (as well as recently added locations at Grand Central Station and on the Upper West Side). The company seeks to be green in all of its operations – products are made primarily from organic ingredients; bakery locations are built from green materials; and locations are powered by renewable energy sources. For seven years, the company has been delivering goods between its own locations, to a few third-party retailers in lower Manhattan, and to infrequent catering locations using two Cycles Maximus general cargo freight tricycles. The specifications for these vehicles are given in Table 4. Deliveries to more distant locations recently opened on the Upper West Side are made using cargo vans, and some small deliveries are also made using bicycles. During the time of the data collection, frequent pickups and deliveries were made between six bakery locations and the Union Square Green Market, all located in midtown and lower Manhattan. City Harvest’s cargo cycles are leased from and maintained by Revolution Rickshaws, a local pedicab and cargo cycle logistics company located on W. 31st St. in Midtown Manhattan. While City Bakery stores its freight tricycles on-site, the freight tricycles regularly travel to this location for maintenance.

Table 4. Cycles Maximus General Cargo TricycleSpecifications

Power System Human

Weight 187 lbs

Length 8' 6.44"

Width 3' 11.2"

Cargo Capacity 35.3 ft3

Maximum Payload 551 lbs

City Bakery produces and sells a number of fresh products, including but not limited to breads, cookies, hot chocolate, coffee, sandwiches, and biscuits. Generally, these goods cannot be stored for long periods of time; most products must be sold on the day that they are produced. These goods are primarily produced at three locations: City Bakery located at 3 West 18th St., a Birdbath Bakery located at 200 Church Street, and a Birdbath Bakery located at 160 Prince St.

At the time of data collection, City Bakery employed five tricycle drivers. At the beginning of each business day (typically between 7:00 a.m. and 9:00 a.m.), these drivers deliver a fixed amount of goods from the flagship locations to each retail location. During these deliveries, freight tricycles are typically full to the volume capacity with baking sheets, four gallon jugs, and/or boxed lunches. However, the daily demand of each branch is highly variable and difficult to predict; when individual locations need more food to meet higher demand, they request additional products to be delivered from the closest flagship store. Until about 7 p.m., additional goods are delivered on-demand via freight tricycle; typically, between seven and 12 deliveries are made to each store daily.

Previous to implementation of the freight tricycles, City Bakery made pickups and deliveries using cargo vans. When asked to compare operations between the two modes, City Bakery identified a number of benefits and challenges of using freight tricycles. The primary operational benefits identified included higher speeds in congested traffic and parking flexibility. Because they can be parked on wide sidewalks at many locations, the freight tricycles do not face the same challenges as trucks in attempting to park in dense areas of lower Manhattan. Similarly, the freight tricycles can generally bypass traffic congestion by traveling on wide road shoulders or on bicycle lanes; this flexibility allows them to travel with greater reliability than motorized vehicles. Given the relatively small number of pick-up and delivery points, City Bakery freight tricycles operate on relatively fixed routes. The tricycle operators travel the same or very similar routes between the same fixed points on a daily basis. Experienced drivers have found the most efficient routes to travel from the flagship stores to different branches under varying traffic conditions.

As an unusual vehicle type, the freight tricycles are highly visible. By branding the freight tricycles with their logo, the bakery can simultaneously perform deliveries and advertising. City Bakery also identified some intangible benefits of using the freight tricycles. First, using the freight tricycles allows them to maintain transportation operations consistent with the other aspects of their “green” business. Second, their drivers simply enjoy using the bikes, leading to a high level of employee satisfaction.

Motorized vehicles do offer some benefits compared to the freight tricycles. Vans can carry larger capacities and can be better temperature controlled. They also provide better protection of both drivers and goods from collisions and pavement damage. However, City Bakery has been able to mitigate these challenges. Given the relatively short travel distances between locations (around two miles maximum), temperature control is not a major concern despite potential for freezing or overheating of goods. Security has also not been found to be a concern during operations. During the day, City Bakery’s freight tricycles are generally parked on the sidewalk outside the flagship City Bakery location or at the Birdbath Bakery located at 200 Church Street. Overnight, the freight tricycles are brought into the City Bakery for storage. The company has not experienced any major damage or injuries from accidents. The company is proactive to promote safety. The drivers wear yellow vests and helmets, and receive guidance on specific routes to avoid based on past experience. By law, drivers are required to carry workman’s compensation insurance, which is costly. While product integrity can be impacted by jostling of goods from infrastructure damage and stop-and-go operations, loading procedures (e.g. stacking cookies only one high) to minimize impacts have been developed through experience.

4.1.2 City Harvest

City Harvest operates a very different business model from City Bakery. City Harvest is a not-for-profit food rescue organization that has been in operation since 1981. The organization picks up excess food daily from all segments of the local food industry (e.g., restaurants, grocers, bakeries, greenmarkets, corporate cafeterias, manufacturers, and farms;City Harvest 2014). The organization then distributes these goods to more than 500 local community food programs throughout New York City, including to more than 120 locations in Manhattan. Since the opening of its 45,400 square ft “Food Rescue Facility” in Long Island City, Queens in 2011, City Harvest has the capacity to move more than 125,000 lbs of food daily (City Harvest 2014). City Harvest transports this food using 19 refrigerated trucks and three freight tricycles. The Cycles Maximus General Cargo freight tricycles were initially implemented in 2008 at the suggestion of a financial investor.

City Harvest accepts both perishable and durable goods. Durable goods and large shipments of perishable goods are carried by truck and are stored and sorted at the Food Rescue Facility in Queens. Delivery volumes are limited by storage available at the location of each food program. According to the City Harvest drivers and logistics manager, some shelters and churches have their own storage areas (some with specialized equipment). Programs with available storage usually accept large, infrequent deliveries of non-perishable goods (e.g., bottled water) that are made by truck from the Food Rescue Facility. These programs generally contact City Harvest for new deliveries once their stock has been depleted below a specific level.

For programs that serve fresh foods – for example, dairy products, fruits and vegetables, and prepared meals – frequent deliveries of smaller quantities are needed. For these delivery types, freight tricycles are used to make small pick-ups, usually of perishable goods, from Manhattan restaurants and retailers. These goods are transported directly from the donor to a local food program. Deliveries may be made to these locations infrequently or as often as multiple times daily; delivery frequencies are determined by the operating days and hours of the participating food programs. For example, some churches serve meals only one or a few days per week. Programs that both store and distribute non-perishable goods and serve fresh foods may receive delivery from both trucks and freight tricycles. The freight tricycles are used primarily for movement of individual shipments weighing less than 50 lbs. Two freight tricycles operate primarily in Midtown, with a third operating on the lower west side of Manhattan. The Downtown tricycle makes about 24 pickups each morning; the Midtown freight tricycles operate in the afternoon and evening, and typically make 17 pickups. Generally, the freight tricycles will be filled to more than 400 lbs before goods are delivered to a local program.

City Harvest employs one driver per trike. Although the organization owns the freight tricycles, they contract with Revolution Rickshaws for maintenance and storage of the vehicles. Like City Bakery, City Harvest identified a number of operational and intangible benefits and challenges for using freight tricycles versus motorized vehicles. City Harvest also identified ease of parking as a major benefit of freight tricycles; generally, freight tricycles are not subject to the parking fines that are a frequent cost of operation for truck deliveries in dense areas throughout New York City. The freight tricycles allow for pickup of goods in shipment sizes smaller than would be efficient for trucks; while the costs associated with moving these goods to and through the sorting facility might exceed their value, they can easily be moved a short distance to a local user via trike. City Harvest also noted that the branded freight tricycles provide marketing and demonstrate the organization’s commitment to sustainable practices. City Harvest noted that the experience of the tricycle driver is more “personal” than that of a truck driver; small pickups transported directly from a donor to a user provide a reminder of the roots of the organization.

City Harvest also identified some challenges associated with tricycle operations. The freight tricycles operate in all weather conditions except under a city warning or severe snow. Potential driver exposure to these conditions can pose a difficulty in recruiting new personnel. City Harvest is working on methods to mitigate this challenge, such as providing weather appropriate clothing to drivers. Weather exposure is also a major concern in ensuring product integrity given than most of the goods being transported are perishable. Drivers do log temperatures using a handheld device to ensure that foods remain at a safe temperature while being transported. As a nonprofit organization, City Harvest’s legal liability for a temperature control failure may be limited by “Good Samaritan” laws; however, the organization aims to always maintain the integrity of products it transports.