Lug+Carrie introduces smart journey app to make electric cycling safer for ‘mums and dads’

Melbourne-based eBike start-up Lug+Carrie is partnering with Intelematics to improve the safety and efficiency for its riders with the introduction of a smart journey app.

Lug+Carrie’s partnership with mobility and traffic expert Intelematics will introduce access to the company’s ridePlan app. Personalised to each user with pre-defined preferences, the app is powered by Intelematics’ own safety algorithm that helps find quieter, more efficient, and more bike-friendly routes.

The algorithm takes into account everything from road infrastructure such as bike lanes and different road surfaces, and allows the user to choose from the fastest, quietest, or flattest route available. The ridePlan app also offers turn-by-turn navigation and voice guidance.

With more than 800 eBikes and 1,000 customers across Australia, Lug+Carrie subscribers will now be able to begin using the ridePlan app to help them get around Melbourne, Sydney, and Brisbane, where Lug+Carrie currently operates.

In the hopes of expanding its operations, however, Lug+Carrie recently secured $5 million in funding which will support local expansion as well as international plans, including the United States.

“Safety is paramount for all of our riders, but especially the mums and dads who choose one of our eBikes as a healthier way to transport their kids to and from school,” said Dan Carr, co-founder of Lug+Carrie.

“Safety is also a barrier for new riders looking to buy or try an eBike. By partnering with Intelematics and introducing ridePlan, we provide an extra level of reassurance which removes this barrier and makes navigating our busy city and suburban streets easier and safer.”

The ridePlan app was recently trialled by parents at three inner-city primary schools in Melbourne, organised by the Merri-bek City Council. Forty parents used the app to conduct school drop-off and pick-ups over a four-week period between July and September.

The trial, which incorporated Lug+Carrie eBikes and the ridePlan app, resulted in 75% of participants who typically drove their kids to school saying they had been exposed to the potential of doing the school run by bike.

Merri-bek is hoping to roll out similar trials to more schools through the remainder of the year.

“Sparked by the pandemic, we have seen a rise in the use of active transport across Australia as people look for healthier alternative forms of transport,” said Nick Marks CEO at Intelematics.

“RidePlan is a step towards helping people use active transport effectively to get from place to place – faster, safer and more sustainably.

“Our partnership with Lug+Carrie is an example of the positive impact technology can have on people’s lives.”

RidePlan is part of Intelematics’ Mobility as a Service platform, Omniway, which helps governments, businesses, and consumers improve how they travel. The Omniway platform builds on the success of the Arevo trip-planning platform which was developed for RACV.

However, Lug+Carrie is the first enterprise to go live with ridePlan, demonstrating what the two company’s hope is a shift in behaviour towards healthier and more sustainable transport options.

And for those looking to see what it’s like to lease a Lug+Carrie eBike, check out the guest post from Anna Harvey, who began using a Lug+Carrie e-cargo bike to tote her two children around Sydney.