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[Vancouver, BC]- One of British Columbia’s last independent and family owned office supply companies has found a new way to improve delivery efficiency and cut its carbon footprint. Mills Basics has been delivering supplies to offices across the Lower Mainland since 1949, and is now partnering with Shift, who launched their innovative cycle-based delivery service last week. Shift’s heavy-duty cargo trikes, which can hold up to 300 kilograms of goods, will immediately replace one of Mills’ downtown truck routes.

 

According to Mills Basics’ CEO Brad Mills, “It is nothing new really; bicycle delivery has always been a part of Mills’ long history.  My father used bicycles and streetcars when he started the business 60 years ago.  I think it is neat to see how things have gone full circle.”

 

“Over the last couple of years we have aggressively worked to reduce our carbon footprint.  Our delivery fleet is where Mills can have the greatest impact and this is why we have developed a carbon-free delivery strategy that we are launching this year,” says Mills.

 

Loretta Laurin is a co-founder of Shift urban cargo delivery. She is enthusiastic about the potential for the cycle-based technology to eliminate truck trips in downtown Vancouver. “It feels great to offer a practical solution that also has environmental benefits. We’re proving that cargo trikes are the ideal technology for distribution in dense urban areas, like downtown.”

 

Shift’s owners have the long-term vision of establishing low-impact urban goods movement in Vancouver. Conventional delivery vehicles often get caught in traffic and waste time searching for parking or waiting for loading zones to become available. The trikes, on the other hand, can use bike lanes to pass vehicle line-ups and park with ease at the front entrances of downtown buildings. Replacing delivery trucks and vans with zero-emission cargo trikes also reduces air pollution and greenhouse gas emissions, and contributes to Vancouver’s goal to become the greenest city in the world.

 

Shift has also developed partnerships with several other delivery-based businesses. This new worker-cooperative business will be delivering Spud produce, FROGBOX moving boxes, and One Planet Catering to downtown destinations later this month.

For further information and to arrange interviews, contact:

 

778-231-2866, loretta.laurin@gmail.com

 

Brad Mills, Chief Executive Officer, Mills Basics
604-215-6400, bmills@mills.ca

 

 

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