A local bicycle delivery system, Pedalers Express is the backbone of the Center for Appropriate Transportation, a non-profit community center that serves Eugene as an alternative school, custom design shop, and a publishing house. The programs were all started by Renaissance man Jan VanderTuin, the inventor of cargo-holding bikes.
Pedalers Express is a progressive delivery company that runs well with the spirit of Eugene. Not only is it a human powered alternative to gas consuming delivery trucks, but the Center for Appropriate Transportation is an entire community that embodies humanitarianism.
At the CAT, Jan VanderTuin is a true Renaissance man. He is the inventor of the cargo bike, an entrepreneur who brought the European concept of cycle delivery to the U.S., a business-man running a non-profit company, a founder of an alternative education, and a community builder emphasizing on child development and organic agriculture.
On the corner of West first and Washington in the heart of Eugene, VanderTuin’s Eugene Bicycle Works is merely a front to the depth of the organization. The shop includes a public maintenance center where anybody can use the shop’s tools and expertise to fix their own bikes. The shop also houses the base of operation for the Peddlers, who specialize in different aspects of bicycle production from metal fab to stitching.
Zach is a Pedalers Express deliverer who teaches his students how to work with fabrics to make bicycle seats, boots and ponchos.
The students who apprentice here can earn an Oregon-approved GED.
Nolan is a student who plans to get his GED this year and then start at Lane Community College for a degree in metal fabrication.
The school also offers education in journalistic design and publication to accompany a well-rounded training in bicycle production. The students produce Oregon Cycling Magazine, which has a circulation of about 13,000.
All the educational programs are offered to the public for free. The Center for Appropriate Transportation relies on donations and the contracts of Pedalers Express to continue to provide its haven of opportunities.
The Pedalers service almost all of the Eugene-Springfield area, and ride in all weather conditions.
Pedalers Express is the dedicated core of a way to connect and provide, all while focussing on the simple power of humans.