Delivery giant Evri has revealed plans to invest £19 million in order to rapidly expand its fleet of electric cargo bikes which operates in Oxford.

The company said it plans to run around 3,000 bikes for deliveries within the next decade.

Evri, which rebranded from Hermes in 2022, said it will grow its fleet of e-cargo bikes from 33 to 99 within the next year, and will expand its number of electric vehicles from 168 to 270.

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The company said it is part of its ambitions to become “the UK’s most sustainable” parcel firm and comes amid efforts to become a net-zero business by 2035.

As well as running in Oxford Evri already has electric cargo bikes operating in London, Bristol, and Cambridge – and the company currently delivers 1.5 million parcels a year by bike or electric vehicle.

The business, which has around 8,000 employees in the UK, aims to triple that number to around four million over the next year.

Martijn De Lange, chief executive officer at Evri, said: “Pedal power will rev up our efforts to reimagine parcel deliveries in the UK as we aim to become the biggest operator of e-cargo bikes in the sector.

“We achieved a nine per cent decrease in carbon emissions since last year.

“The £19 million investment announced today will lay the groundwork for Evri to dial up on its ambition to become the UK’s most sustainable parcel carrier.”