Meet the Dads Who Take Their Kids Everywhere on Electric Cargo Bikes

For Father’s Day, Treehugger decided to honor the wonderful dads in our lives with an eco-friendly twist—by profiling the extra-cool fathers who drive their kids around town using electric cargo bikes. 

With help from Bunch Bikes, North America’s biggest front-load cargo bike brand, we’ve pulled together some great stories and photos from dads who have discovered the magic of cargo e-bikes and say it has totally improved their relationships with their kids and the environment. (That aligns with what this cargo e-bike-riding mother has discovered, too.)

You cannot read these profiles without feeling inspired to make a similar change in your own life. Nor will you be able to deny the slight twinge of jealousy at just how lucky those kids are to have such cool dads. On that note, a Happy Father’s Day to all—and get pedaling!

Note: All dads received the same standard list of questions from Treehugger. Responses have been edited for clarity and/or brevity.

Frank Todd (Orlando, Florida): “It’s a happy thing. It reminds people of Europe. It makes people smile.”

Treehugger: How did you start riding an electric cargo bike?

Frank Todd: Three years ago my family and I (kids aged 5 and 2 at the time) moved to a neighborhood with parks, schools, and shopping all within two miles. At first, I biked my kids in the traditional trailer, which was great, but it was too small. I also wanted to be able to see my kids and talk to them. I started looking for family bikes and I fell in love with the front-loader option. It fits all our needs. Three years later I still use it on a daily basis.

How has it affected your life?

Car Usage: I very rarely use my car. Having the bike allows me to do 80% of our errands without the need for a car.

Physical Health: I have an electric motor, so I don’t get a workout, though I probably burn a few calories. The great thing is that I can bike my two kids four miles without sweat.

Mental Well-being: This is one of the biggest benefits. I really don’t like driving. It’s so lonely and isolating. While biking I can feel the wind, smell the flowers, wave, and talk to neighbors and kids. It’s fantastic. Cars are too sterile.

Socially: This is another huge benefit. Everyone loves the bike. How could you not? It gets attention. People notice you and want to talk about it. Neighbors appreciate the aesthetic it brings to the neighborhood. It’s a happy thing. It reminds people of Europe. It makes people smile, which makes people like you. I am very well-known in my neighborhood because of it.

What do your kids think of it?

My kids absolutely love the bike. We can connect in a quiet place. They talk about their day, laugh, wave to friends, stop to pet a dog/cat, give friends rides home, etc. They prefer the bike over the car for sure.

Have you had any funny stories or experiences as a result of riding your e-bike?

Well, like I said, it gets attention. I will often transport large items that don’t fit in my car on the bike (within the neighborhood) such as dinner tables. It’s hilarious.

Another big benefit is that I can ride in the street, bike lanes or paths, or the sidewalk. I am never stopped by traffic. Golf cars are stuck on the road just like a car. Another huge benefit is parking. I don’t have to find a parking space whenever I go to the store. I just park the bike next to the front door and walk right in.

Brendan Pool (Grand Haven, Michigan): “It allows us to include our special needs daughter in all of our outdoor activities.”

Treehugger: How did you start riding an electric cargo bike?

Brendan Pool: Our friends got us started with Bunch Bikes in 2019. We have a special needs daughter and we were never able to go on a family bike ride together or scoot around town. We got our Bunch Bike and the whole family could now participate on a family bike ride!

How has it affected your life? 

We live in beautiful Grand Haven, Michigan, which was recently named the “Best Beach Town on a Lake” by Parents Magazine. It is a very busy place during the summer and the best way to get around town and to the beach is on a bike.

We hardly use our car anymore. My wife is able to take our kids to school on the Bunch Bike. It is about a two-mile ride one way. The Bunch Bike can hold all three of our children and all of their backpacks, with no problem. It is such a fun way to get the kids to school and get some exercise.

We never have to find a parking spot. It has allowed us to include our special needs daughter in all of our outdoor activities and allow our family to do everything together instead of one parent staying home with her.

As a dad, I love taking my kids fishing. The Bunch Bike doubles as my fishing mobile and we can load up the kids and the poles and head down to the water.

From a physical health standpoint, it is great to get outside and bike. We are very thankful for the electric assist on the hills though!

What do your kids think of it?

Our kids LOVE the bike. They are able to see everything while riding and, as a parent, I can interact with them and talk with them the whole time because they are not stuck behind us.

Have you had any funny stories or experiences as a result of riding your e-bike?

I can’t ride our Bunch Bike without getting at least five people stopping and asking where we got it. People are always commenting as we drive by, saying, “That is so cool!” and “Look at that bike. I need to get one of those.”

Eric GP (Northern California): “People always mistake my wife for another child.”

Eric GP: My family and I started riding an electric cargo bike after we gave one of our cars away. The bike was meant to be a supplement to our transportation needs.

Our bike is a little over a year old. We live in a small coastal town in Northern California. It rains a lot here but it hasn’t slowed us down. We’ve already put 1,040 miles on our Bunch bike.

That’s a lot of miles we didn’t spend in a car. We may employ the electric aspect of the bike more than we’d like to admit, so physical activity is low, but at least we are outside moving and getting fresh air.

These rides were a lifesaver during the lockdown. Riding as a family was one of the only activities we could do together and get outside.

Our son just turned 2. He wakes up in the morning and gets right in our faces, saying, “Bike ride… beachie… rocks!” (We live near a very rocky beach.) He gets so excited to ride the bike. He’s been riding since he was 8 months old. As a baby, he wasn’t a fan of bumps in the road, but he quickly got used to it and I got used to avoiding bumps.

One funny story: My wife is very small and rides in the box with our son. I am constantly being told, “What cute children you have!” (We only have our son.) People always mistake my wife for another child. She used to try and correct them, but now she just goes with it.

Simon Jones (Thousand Oaks, California): “It’s like I am turning up on a rocket ship each day.”

Treehugger: How did you start riding an electric cargo bike?

Simon Jones: We used to live in Cambridge, England, and cargo bikes similar to those in Amsterdam are extremely popular there. When we moved to California last year, we wanted to get a cargo bike to take the children to the local park so they could get some exercise and fresh air during the COVID-19 pandemic. Once the schools returned to in-person learning, we’ve been using it on the daily school runs.

How has it affected your life? 

We only live two miles from our daughter’s school, and so looking at the handy mileometer, I can confidently say that we have shaved off 500 miles from car usage, and reduced wear and tear on the car by using the Bunch Bike every day.

Even though it’s just two miles, the route to the school is really hilly, so having the power assist on the bike has been perfect to help us get up the hills.

Taking the bike out rather than driving has also been a nice break for me from hours of Zoom calls, rather than jumping into the car. It’s much easier to chat and catch up with the kids on the bike than trying to talk to them at the back of the car.

We also feel we are doing our bit to help the environment. At our daughters’ school, the vast majority of parents drive their kids to school and wait in long lines with their car engines idling whilst waiting to pick them up.

Have you had any funny stories or experiences as a result of riding your e-bike?

Despite using the bike for nearly a year on the school run, I still get comments every day from neighbors or parents at the school about the bike. It’s like I am turning up on a rocket ship each day. Everyone wants to know how the bike works, and where we got it from.