BYKKO'S Monica Zarafu is hoping Australians ditch the car and hop on a bike.
As the first Australian provider of shared electric bikes and scooters with universal charging stations, Bykko wants to see a more sustainable future.
Bykko launched its pilot program in Newcastle in 2018 with Transport for NSW and Newcastle City Council.
Today, they mostly operate in holiday parks, hotels and residential developments across the country.
Bykko is hoping to create more public programs to develop environmentally friendly cities.
A transport engineer with more than 25 years experience, Ms Zarafu saw that very few bike sharing companies offered docking and charging infrastructure in one station.
And so in 2016, Bykko was born.
"I strongly believe it is our responsibility as business owners to do whatever we can do to reduce carbon emissions from transport," Ms Zarafu said.
Micro-mobility hubs
Offering "micro-mobility hubs" - or all-in-one stations - Zarafu saw a huge demand for sustainable travel in tourism and commercial spaces.
She said shared e-bike programs were convenient and cost effective for residents and travellers, particularly for people who may not have enough storage or resources to own a personal e-bike.
Ms Zarafu said that corporates could offer an electric bike fleet instead of cars for their staff.
"Electric bikes promote physical activity and well-being," she said.
"People tend to ride longer distances and ride more often on an e-bike."
Reducing car dependency
Along with the health benefits, Ms Zarafu said e-bikes were the way of the future for environmentally-friendly communities.
She said that there is a 92 to 94 per cent reduction in CO2 emissions for every kilometre cycled.
"Cycling is more environmentally friendly than any car you could design," she said.
Ms Zarafu said the all-in-one stations also saved emissions by limiting the need to service the bikes for re-charging.
She wants to reduce Australia's car dependency, despite the lack of walkability and large distances within cities.
Ms Zarafu said a lot of car trips in Australia are short distances that could be travelled by e-bike.
In 2022, Transport NSW found that more than two million car trips are made daily for distances less than two kilometres and six million trips for under five kilometres.
Ms Zarafu said as more people work from home, there is less of a need for multiple cars in one household.
She said the tourist sector is also a massive space where people's carbon footprints can shrink as bikes are a great way to explore regional towns such as Newcastle.
"Electric bikes have the potential to truly change behaviour," Ms Zarafu said.
- Innovation Ready is an Out of the Square initiative produced in collaboration with Hunter Innovation Festival and the Newcastle Herald to highlight the region as an innovation powerhouse. The videos can be viewed at newcastleherald.com.au and innovationready.com.au
