Welcome to the Better Cities Fund!

When it comes to your ride, switching can be a big decision for any courier. It’s pretty much your office, it’s how you make money, and in some cases, it can even be part of your identity! And that’s OK. The Better Cities partners want to make sure that you absolutely love everything about your ride. That’s why we’ve worked long and hard to find the absolutely best rides out there to get you started. Here are 5 big reasons to consider switching: 

Climate - If nothing else, the Better Cities partners want to help you be part of the revolution to make cities healthier, safer and better. Electric bicycles have a negligible carbon footprint when compared to traditional mopeds or cars that run on gas. By working together, we can make all deliveries truly carbon neutral! Heavy orders - We know that heavy orders are, well,... heavier, and that these can’t be filled by normal bicycles with just 1 bag. That’s why we’ve selected vehicles that can handle 2 courier bags at a time, enabling you to extend the number and the type of orders that you can pick up. Worried about the extra lifting? Don’t. These vehicles are all battery powered and have been tested in various pilots to ensure you can get that much needed boost of energy when you need it. Who ever said that the future was all about cars?

Affordability - These vehicles, while they look great, are also premium products, and that means they normally come with a high price tag. Through the Better Cities Grant fund, you can now access these vehicles at an affordable price that is on par with normal electric bicycles. Let’s just say, these vehicles are a really really good deal.

Reduce your costs - For couriers who are already driving a vehicle powered by gasoline or petrol, we know that rising fuel prices have been felt for a while. And to be honest, it doesn’t look like that price is coming down any time soon. By switching to electric, courier partners can reduce their operating costs (just think, no more smelly fuel!), which means you can have a bit more money left over at the end of the month.

Security and safety - All of these vehicles come with Two Wheel Company’s service promise, which includes a monthly service (12 x per year), full risk insurance, and a replacement ebike in case anything happens. Their commitment to you is to make sure that you always ride safe, and ride your best, because we understand that when something happens to your vehicle, it can mean a bad day for you, and for customers.

While the Better Cities Partners would love all courier partners to get a grant from day one, the reality is that this is a pilot programme and we need to walk before we can run. As a result, we are limiting the grant to couriers that meet the following eligibility criteria:

• Couriers who do deliveries in one of the four eligible capital cities: Copenhagen, Oslo, Stockholm or Helsinki

• Couriers who have delivered on Wolt for at least 6 months 

• Couriers who have completed at least 75 orders per week on average 

Preference will be given first to applicants who want to shift from a high-emitting vehicle such as cars or mopeds, and/or to applicants who have the highest potential to help reduce carbon emissions from the delivery industry. However, couriers that use bikes to do their deliveries and want to upgrade to something bigger are also welcome to apply. 

Applications for the grant fund will be open from January 1, 2024 to March 31, 2024 and grants will be disbursed directly from South Pole to Two Wheel Company so that they can be offered to couriers on a specific vehicle (of the courier’s choosing). 

Applicants need to fill out all of the details in the application form correctly in order to be considered. This includes 1) writing a short personal statement about why you would like to be considered for the grant, 2) uploading a photo of your existing vehicle and 3) providing permission to Wolt to share your delivery history and some personal data like your name, email and phone number with SouthPole and Two Wheel Company. Applications that are incomplete will be automatically rejected.

If approved for the grant fund, the courier partner will be contacted by South Pole directly with the news and instructions on how to connect with Two Wheel Company to get into their new vehicle. 

Each individual courier partner may only apply for and receive 1 grant over the lifetime of the pilot programme. 

The Better Cities grant fund is a total pot of approximately 400,000 euros, which means that each courier partner can receive a maximum grant of 3,000 euros to be applied on one vehicle lease over 18 months. This means that approved courier partners can expect a reduction of the total rental price by up to 30% for the first 18 months.

Applications will be reviewed on a regular basis and you should expect to hear back from Bettercities@southpole.com within 1 month from the date of your application.

As we don’t yet know which vehicles will be the most popular, the Better Cities Partners have ordered a small number of each set of vehicles to be ready as soon as possible. Once those run out, we expect an average waiting time of 5 weeks from the time you sign your lease to the time you get your keys.

We certainly love snow, and so do these vehicles. These bikes have been tested in snowy conditions in other cities like Estonia and Stockholm, and while they don’t necessarily come with skis, they handle quite well. Still worried? Don’t. All vehicles have the option to include snow tires if needed. 

When it comes to battery life, colder temperatures do affect how long batteries last. That’s why these vehicles come with heavy duty batteries or in some cases dual batteries to ensure you can stay on the road as long as you like without running out of juice. What’s more, they are meant to be driven all year long. 

The Better Cities Partners want to be able to support everyone to switch to a more sustainable vehicle, but in some cases, it’s just not possible. If you are not approved for the grant fund, you will be notified by BetterCities@Southpole.com within 1 month from the date of your application.