The Bike-courier as an Energy Efficiency Instrument at the University of Guadalajara (Pilot Study)

Abstract

Introducción: The struggle and concern for climate change, the optimization of natural resources, the well-being of future generations, has permeated the public institutions of our country. In particular, the University of Guadalajara, a public body for higher education, has launched projects aimed at this direction. The year 2020 at the University of Guadalajara was declared as the "Year of the Energy Transition at the University of Guadalajara”. Likewise, the Program of Austerity, Rationality and Efficiency of Institutional Resources of the University of Guadalajara was launched, implemented and applicable to the entire University Network and of a mandatory nature, to rationalize institutional spending by establishing: A decrease in energy resources through rational, responsible and sustainable use, proposing "to reduce spending on fossil fuels and lubricants by 40%, optimizing its consumption" together with a gradual transition of the vehicle fleet, "The conversion of the vehicle fleet to the electric and hybrid type will be strengthened". Materials and Methods: Considering the above and associated with the opportunity to take as a pilot test the Transport Office of the Rectory General, it was established to replace by bike-courier the delivery of documents and light parcels in dependencies with distances less than 5 km of radius of the administrative building of the University of Guadalajara that is currently carried out using a car, seeking energy reduction, without losing efficiency in deliveries and contributing to meet the institutional goals of resource optimization and environmental contribution. The messaging and departure requests of the agency's operational vehicles were tracked during the year 2019. Results and Discussion: Accounting for the annual record, only the requested trips with distances less than 5 km are those considered to be made by bicycle because they are requests for delivery of documentation, being 40.88% of these those susceptible to be delivered by bicycle, representing 2,237.54 kilometers and 187.05 liters of fuel saved, contributing to the fulfillment of the institutional goal of reducing fossil fuels by 40%. It was also evidenced that the efficiency of the bike-courier, in most cases is higher than the automotive, under the criteria and variables analyzed, using the Data Enveloping Analysis (DEA).