After the city of Munich decided in March to expand bike logistics, the new XXL bike logistics hub has now been opened on the grounds of the former parcel post hall in the presence of the city's top officials as well as logistics officials. In the basement of the area, the largest supplier-independent bike logistics hub in Germany was created on an area of over 2,000 square meters, bringing together various logistics and cargo bike service companies under one roof. The area is rented by the Mobility Department and sublet to (bike) logistics companies. This is part of the interim use project "Pineapple Park". The costs for the new bike logistics area can be covered by rental income and project funds from the EU project metaCCAZE during the project period from 2025 to 2027.
Mayor Dieter Reiter (SPD), Mobility Officer Georg Dunkel, and Labor and Economic Officer Christian Scharpf took a behind-the-scenes look at the new hub during a press tour. Also present was Stefan Behrendt, Managing Director Food Logistics at Dachser, who introduced the pilot project for refrigerated logistics with cargo bikes at Dachser Food Logistics. This is the first time refrigerated goods are being transported by cargo bike at the Allgäu-based logistics company.
Premiere for Cold Logistics with Cargo Bike
An active cooling system from Denso spin-off GreenZen Solutions is used, guaranteeing a closed cold chain and currently ensuring a 20-kilometer radius with one tour. Nearly 200 refrigerated shipments have already been delivered, with further optimizations underway. Currently, a swap body is still used as a "refrigerated warehouse," but a hall in the hub is planned for this purpose. The impetus for these solutions also came from customers,
as well as from the European Union - and from the traffic-heavy reality in Munich, reported Behrendt. In addition, companies such as B4B Logistics, GLS, and Pacflix are active at the new location. Further talks, for instance with UPS and Amazon, are promising, the officials said.
Last Mile by Bike Found Favorable by the Mayor
The head of the city of Munich, who admitted that he is not necessarily a bike fan, expressed his conviction that cargo bikes used for commercial purposes could play an important role in alleviating the heavy traffic in the state capital. Covering the last mile by bike saves many trucks and reduces dangerous situations caused by double parking, Reiter said. He considers its application not only for parcel services but also for many trades and crafts to be sensible. Commercially used cargo bikes are no longer a niche application, noted Mobility Officer Georg Dunkel regarding the increasing revenues of bike logisticians, at 190 million euros in 2024. This has resulted in 2,200 tons of CO2 being saved and 8.5 million kilometers being covered by cargo bike.
Shifting to Bikes Can Relieve Delivery Zones
Economic Officer Scharpf sees cargo bike logistics also as a factor for making the economic location more attractive. With high inward migration to Munich, the area is not growing in tandem, therefore innovative approaches and solutions are needed. Although the bulk of goods will likely continue to be transported by truck, cargo bikes are an important complement and relief, especially in the dense old town. Moreover, shifting parts of economic traffic to bikes can again relieve delivery and loading zones. Project manager Christiane Behrisch emphasized that the venture is primarily desired by
companies and will be self-sustaining if fully rented out. Nevertheless, support is important and essential, especially for start-ups.
Over Tenfold Area
The new hub is the tenfold scaled version of the first bike logistics hub, which was opened in August 2023 as part of the municipal partial strategy "Commercial Traffic" at the Viehhof. The location has quickly established itself and proved its worth: According to their own statements, companies were able to save up to 30 percent time on the so-called "last mile" of delivery in recent months because the search for parking and traffic jam times are eliminated. Overall, in the first nine months of bike logistics operations at the Viehhof, 8,000 hours of standing time in public space were already reduced, and 260,000 shipments were delivered, as was reported in March 2025. At the same time, bike logistics relieved delivery zones in the city center. Based on all experiences, 15 cargo bikes can replace ten transporters, Dunkel summarized.
Ideal Location in Former Postal Area
In light of these successes, more and more logistics companies have shown interest in expanding deliveries by cargo bike within the Middle Ring, for which new, larger transshipment points are needed. On the new, expansive, underground area, which the post office previously used for mail logistics, transport routes, access ramps, and social rooms already exist that can be used communally. Additionally, service companies, such as maintenance and workshop partners, are to rent space. Showroom areas for cargo bike manufacturers are also planned to demonstrate the practical advantages of using cargo bikes to businesses and allow for testing.
"Munich is the capital of online shopping; in no other city are so many parcels and packages
delivered as here, according to statistics. This leads to a lot of delivery traffic, and we need innovative solutions for that. More and more logisticians are relying on inner-city delivery by cargo bike. The big advantage of cargo bikes is that they aren't stuck in traffic jams and finding parking is easier. This saves companies time and money. The Munich bike logistics hub is a true success story. I am delighted that we are now continuing it with the XXL hub," explained Mayor Dominik Krause after the decision in March.
The idea for the showroom also came from Peter Blösl of B4B Logistics, who considers it essential to also win over the trades for cargo bike use. The goal is to break down prejudices and perhaps initially include a cargo bike with the other transporters in the fleet, Blösl said during the tour. Trade fairs or small exhibitions are also planned to specifically target the sectors. The aim is to close the gaps that currently exist.
Bike Logistics is Already Attractive Today
From the perspective of Mobility Officer Georg Dunkel, bike logistics in Munich is already so attractive to companies that one and a half years after the opening of the first bike logistics hub at the Viehhof, a second, ten times larger bike logistics hub is now being undertaken. He explicitly praised the support of the Chamber of Commerce and Industry (IHK) in finding a suitable area.
"That we can realize this cost-neutrally for the municipal budget, thanks in large part to the funding from the EU project metaCCAZE, is a great relief – and an important contribution to promoting sustainable commercial traffic in Munich," Dunkel explained in March.
