On your bike! How a bicycle can ease Covid-19 spread and make money

Could cycling be a tool in the fight against the coronavirus?

Euronews reported that Europeans were turning to bicycles in an effort to avoid crowded public transport during the coronavirus pandemic as lockdown restrictions are lifted.

This question could be further pondered as World Bicycle Day was celebrated on Wednesday - placing a spotlight on cycling as the best mode of transport during a global pandemic.

In SA, bicycles have become a tool for mobility and have changed financial situations by creating a business platform for some to generate an income.

“It's time we took bicycles seriously - as a mode of transportation and as a tool to use to earn an income. To those who already started, I wish them well and let's keep on keeping on,” said Mpumelelo Mtintso.

The 32-year-old started Ibhoni delivery, a bicycle courier service based in Orlando West, Soweto, during the lockdown.

“The idea to start a bicycle courier company has always been there. I was inspired by people from other countries who use bicycles to deliver goods, and with Covid-19 I was forced to bring that idea to life for myself,” he said.

Mtintso said bicycles have improved the way he did business, adding that he had always advocated for bicycles as not only a mode of transportation but a way to create jobs, particularly during the pandemic.

“We have been able to courier essentials, especially when the lockdown regulations were relaxed. Also I've created a few jobs, brought in cyclists to make an income for themselves during lockdown,” he said.

Letah Mhlongo is known on Twitter for her famous kota deliveries in Giyani, Limpopo.

The 22-year-old started selling and delivering kotas to give hungry people in her village the experience of having food delivered to them. And her bicycle is her mode of transport to make deliveries.

“I learnt how to ride a bike when I was six, when I got my first bicycle. I always rode bicycles around, even at my age, although most people despised a girl riding bikes,” she said.

“The bicycle has been helping me on a daily basis. I go wherever I want to go, any time, by just using my energy.”

“World Bicycle Day is a day to highlight just how bicycles change lives. In the face of extreme and persistent poverty, bicycles can change lives by helping to address socio-economic challenges at the most basic level: helping people to get where they need to go. They are an accessible, reliable, affordable form of personal transport,” said South African road racing cyclist Lise Olivier.

She is also the marketing manager at Qhubeka, a global charity that moves people forward with bicycles in Africa. People earn bicycles through their various programmes, improving their access to schools, clinics and jobs.

Olivier said millions of people across Southern Africa had limited access to transport and therefore had to walk long distances to where they want to be.

“Twelve million children in South Africa walk to school, often over long distances. This is the size of the problem and what we aim to help address by distributing bicycles,” she said.

On October 24 2019, Qhubeka Charity celebrated an important milestone as it distributed the 100,000th bicycle to programme recipients.

If you would like to help move people forward with bicycles you can make a donation by visiting www.qhubeka.org.