Les Boîtes à Vélo, Pedal powered businesses, Nantes, France - Eurostar Ashden Award - Unravel Tra

Les Boîtes à Vélo, based in Nantes, France is a unique collective of 24 businesses that in 2012 decided to ditch their gas-guzzling delivery vans in favour of something far more clean and healthy: a bicycle with a box attached to it. The ‘bicycle boxes’ enable flexible and fast delivery, while members of the collective, from couriers to caterers, support each other by acting as a cross-referral network. So far Les Boîtes à Vélo has taken 21 trade vehicles off the streets of Nantes, helping demonstrate the true potential of cycling in the city. And with their businesses growing, the collective is also taking its message to other towns and cities in France.

Belgium peer-to-peer car hire network, Tapazz, and French bicycle collective, Les Boîtes à Vélo, have beaten off strong competition from sustainable travel initiatives across the UK, France and Belgium to win the 2015 Eurostar Ashden Awards for Sustainable Travel.

The two winners were chosen for their innovative sustainable travel projects, and will share £30,000 in prize money to invest in their schemes and expand in other networks.

Les Boîtes à Vélo, based in Nantes, impressed the judges with its unique business model for sustainable delivery methods. In 2012 the business decided to move away from using gas delivery vans to a more environmentally friendly alternative; a simple bicycle with a box attached to it. Rather than slowing down sales, the ‘bicycle boxes’ enable flexible and fast delivery of goods and services, while members of the collective, from couriers to caterers, support each other by acting as a cross-referral network.

Les Boîtes à Vélo has made a solid impact, taking 21 trade vehicles off the streets of Nantes, helping demonstrate the true potential of cycling in the city. And with their business growing, members of the collective are also taking their message to other towns and cities in France.

Now in their fourth year (2015) the Eurostar Ashden Awards for Sustainable Travel celebrate the achievements of pioneering travel initiatives in the UK, France and Belgium, which encourage people to adopt more sustainable ways of travelling, helping improve quality of life whilst reducing congestion, pollution, and CO₂emissions.

In addition to prize money, winners are offered a package of benefits including a platform to promote their work; a short film showcasing their sustainable travel scheme, introductions to policymakers, potential funders and investors, as well as access to the prestigious Ashden Alumni network.

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