Urban Deliveries Case Studies Combined 2025

Solution area: Micromobility for urban deliveries E-commerce and delivery services in Brazil have grown at breakneck speed, pushing last-mile logistics to record highs. The market is set to hit $346 billion in 2024 and grow nearly 20% a year through 2027.63 To keep up with demand for ultra-fast deliveries, many couriers use motorcycles. For riders, that means high costs and daily safety risks.64 For cities, it means more congestion, air pollution and noise. Cities worldwide are testing alternatives to tackle these challenges, often by promoting micromobility – especially e-bikes, which produce no tailpipe emissions, use less road space than cars or motorcycles, and move more easily through congested streets. However, high upfront costs put e-bikes out of reach for many workers. Some government jurisdictions have tried to bridge this gap: California has offered purchase incentives,65 and many European countries recently introduced subsidies for residents and workers to reduce emissions and traffic congestion.66 Still, most of these efforts focus on private ownership rather than the needs of professional couriers. This promising practice examines the iFood Pedal programme, which offers subscription-based bicycles and e-bikes dedicated exclusively to delivery workers. The case provides early lessons in the opportunities and constraints of scaling courier-focused micromobility. Promising practice: iFood Pedal programme Snapshot In Brazil, motorbike use is standard for couriers, but comes with high accident rates, long hours in traffic, and fuel and maintenance costs that often exceed daily earnings.67 To address this, iFood – Brazil’s largest delivery platform – launched its Pedal Programme with Tembici in 2020, and with Bliv in 2025.68 Now in 11 major cities, the initiative provides couriers with subscription-based access to bicycles and pedal-assist e-bikes, backed by dedicated docking stations, maintenance support, training and integration through the iFood app.69By shifting couriers from motorcycles to bikes, the programme aims to increase driver safety while also reducing gig workers’ financial strain and accelerating zero-emission deliveries. Early data suggest high volumes of zero-emission deliveries each month.70 However, key questions remain around affordability, infrastructure and equity, which determine the suitability of the model at scale.