Parcels will be delivered by electric cargo bikes in heart of Mississauga
Published May 17, 2023 at 9:29 am
A number of parcels are being delivered to homes and businesses in a unique and environmentally friendly way these days in the heart of Mississauga.
Mississauga-based Purolator Inc. opened its third Urban Quick Stop mini hub yesterday (May 16) at Cooksville GO Station, on Hurontario St. just north of Dundas St.
The first facility of its kind in Mississauga, the mini hub is furnished with pickup parcel lockers and serves as a “sustainable shipping solution” for the surrounding community, Purolator officials say.
The Urban Quick Stop is a 20-foot shipping container that holds shipments destined for the Cooksville and City Centre area of Mississauga.
Delivery people then use electric cargo bikes (e-bikes) housed in the mini hub instead of trucks to provide a “greener” way to deliver parcels locally, the courier company says.
“By using e-bikes to deliver, Purolator will help decrease traffic congestion and reduce (greenhouse gas) emissions by 27 tonnes of carbon dioxide equivalent per year,” a Purolator spokesperson said in a news release.
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Officials with Purolator, which is headquartered in Meadowvale and employs some 14,000 people, note that the initiative also aligns with several actions promoting innovative technologies and alternative fuels undertakings within the City of Mississauga’s Climate Change Action Plan.
“We’ve seen great success with our Urban Quick Stop locations since we launched them in 2022, as they provide an environmentally friendly way for us to deliver to local communities and add more shipping locations for our customers,” said Roger Alouche, Purolator senior director for Central Region operations. “Our parcel lockers provide consumers with a convenient option to drop off and pick up packages closer to home or on their way to and from work.”
The parcel lockers now at Cooksville GO offer 24/7 access to self-serve parcel delivery services, including drop-offs of return shipments as well as pickups, according to Purolator.
“This provides increased convenience for customers while using GO Transit and also lowers emissions from package delivery and reduces local traffic congestion,” the company adds.
Purolator, earlier this year named among Canada’s top 50 employers in an annual study conducted by Forbes, is no stranger to “green” initiatives.
In March of this year, the Mississauga company announced it will pay $1 billion to electrify its fleet of delivery vehicles across Canada by 2030.
The delivery and logistics firm plans to buy more than 3,500 fully electric last-mile delivery vehicles and electrify more than 60 terminals.
Last-mile vehicles are those that complete the final step in the delivery process, taking parcels from a transportation hub to their final destination.
The move to electric vehicles is part of a major initiative by the courier company, largely owned by Canada Post, to reduce its greenhouse gas emissions in the coming years.
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