PIKE SUCCESS STORY
SUSTAINABLE PARCEL DELIVERY BY BIKE
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Have you seen the bright green e-cargo bicycles speeding by? That’s not just any bike delivery service, but one that brings parcels to your door at a time convenient to you. This all in a sustainable way. Bas Faassen is always on the lookout for innovative ideas, and his concept for PIKE – your parcel whenever you like – fills a gap in the market.
in the app when we’ve received it and then you can tell us what time you’d like it to arrive. You can enter the specific time you want our bike delivery person to come to your door.” After building his own demo website and app, Bas quickly attracted his first investor. In November 2020 he found
‘Your parcel will be delivered between 12.30 pm and 5.00 pm.
premises off Hofplein and in late December PIKE went live.
We tried to deliver your parcel but you weren’t home, so we’ll
“We’ve been in business for a little over a year now. Launch-
try again. You can collect your parcel from your local service
ing during lockdown forced us to get creative again, because
point.’ Do these scenarios sound familiar? Whilst searching
suddenly everyone was at home all the time. Now we’re also
for his passion in life, Bas noticed how fed up people around
working with companies in Rotterdam for which we’re their
him were with these recurring delivery problems. And that
local parcel delivery service.”
TEXT Céline Boute
PHOTOGRAPHY Ruben Stam
inspired him to come up with a creative and sustainable solution. “After doing a graduation work placement for sport
SUSTAINABILITY FIRST
marketing at Red Bull, I stayed on in their E-sport market-
What mattered most to Bas himself was organizing the de-
ing department for another three years. It was perfect for
livery process to be as eco-conscious as possible. That’s easy
me, because it was a new unit and I got loads of freedom to
to do in big urban areas, he says. “We have a reach of five
structure it. After closing that chapter, I started working for
kilometres, from Hofplein to Kralingen, Kleiweg or to Rot-
a property agent in Rotterdam. It was in that time that I had
terdam-West and Zuid. That’s all very doable for dropping
the idea for PIKE and started researching the market and
off parcels by electric bike, and it saves a ton. Plus, with
setting up pitches.”
PIKE, parcels don’t go from a distribution centre out to a
CONSUMER-FOCUSED
smaller centre to then be sent back to the same city again. So you’re contributing to multiple facets of sustainability.”
From his research, Bas learned that the parcel market has
In future, Bas hopes merchants will do more of their own dis-
little regard for individuals or consumers. Enter PIKE: a ser-
tribution so that the largest share of deliveries can be done
vice that delivers parcels to your doorstep – and lets you
sustainably. He’s also dreaming of expanding to other dense-
choose when. “The idea arose by approaching it from the
ly populated urban areas in the Netherlands, where there is
consumer point of view. When placing an order, you enter
still plenty to be gained. If there’s one tip he’d like to share
the PIKE address as your delivery address. We let you know
with everyone, it is: “Go ride electric!”
