Bicycle Logistics as a Sustainability Strategy: Lessons from Brazil and Germany

Abstract

The last mile presents the logistics chain’s lowest efficiency and highest cost. Thus, the bicycle emerges as a promising alternative in the rising efforts to advance urban logistics sustainability. This research aims to identify factors for successful last-mile cycle logistics implementation in a comparative study of two cities from the Global South and North. Berlin and Sao Paulo cases were analyzed to outline the cycle logistics ecosystem and to derive learnings. Twelve semi-structured interviews were conducted with key stakeholders of each city to gather their perceptions of cycle logistics challenges, social acceptance, green premium, good practices, and main agents, enabling the analysis of each city’s ecosystem and a comparative analysis between them. The systematization of challenges, good practices, and stakeholders’ maps highlighted four aspects for successful cycle logistics implementation: clear identification of demands and challenges; acknowledgment and communication of learnings; advancement of practices addressing local challenges; cooperation between diverse key stakeholders. Ultimately, two relevant takeaways are that cycle logistics has a specific application scope and it is an alternative among many options that, together with the comprehension of local context, is crucial for the cycle logistics development. Still, experiences and exchanges with other cities may leverage implementation success.