Amazon opens first micromobility hub in Northern Ireland

The hub now accommodates a fleet of electric cargo bikes, tasked with delivering thousands of packages weekly to Amazon customers. This initiative aims to reduce the presence of delivery vans on city centre roads, contributing to air quality improvement and congestion alleviation.

Belfast joins over 40 cities in the UK and Europe that have Amazon micromobility hubs facilitating electric cargo bike and pedestrian deliveries, as part of a £300 million investment to electrify and decarbonise Amazon's UK transportation network. Electric cargo bikes and walkers are anticipated to handle millions of deliveries to Amazon customers across the UK annually.

“Our new electric cargo bikes are part of Amazon’s commitment to reach net zero carbon across our operations by 2040, 10 years ahead of the Paris Agreement. This is a proud moment for our team, and great news for customers across the city who will benefit from zero emissions deliveries to their door,” said Jim Press, Senior Delivery Station Manager at Amazon in Belfast.

Amazon is collaborating with Astral Fox, a local firm providing delivery services to Amazon customers. Nick Turkington, owner of Astral Fox, stated: “We are delighted to work with Amazon to bring this fleet of electric cargo bikes to Northern Ireland. We think the electric cargo bikes are going to be a big hit with customers, while also supporting Amazon’s sustainability commitments. The future is here and this is just the beginning.”

Amazon and its partners currently deploy over 1000 electric delivery vans across the UK and Ireland, alongside nine fully electric heavy goods vehicles, the first in Amazon's fleet, replacing traditional lorries.

As a co-founder and inaugural signatory of The Climate Pledge, Amazon commits to achieving net-zero carbon emissions by 2040. With nearly 500 signatories, including over 100 from the UK, Pledge signatories collaborate on initiatives to preserve the natural environment and invest in decarbonisation technologies.

According to Amazon, as the largest corporate purchaser of renewable energy globally and in the UK, the company operates 29 operational on-site solar projects and has facilitated seven large-scale offsite renewable energy projects, with a capacity exceeding 900MW in the UK. Upon full operation, these projects are projected to generate sufficient energy to power over one million UK homes annually. Notable projects include a wind farm in Ballykeel, Co Antrim, inaugurated last year; Moray West Offshore Windfarm in Scotland; and East Anglia THREE offshore wind farm in Suffolk.