Sleekly designed Sunryde delivers clean green innovative solution for the last mile delivery market

Arkadiy Okhman, by trade, a transportation designer for automotive interiors, is the founder of Sunryde, a truly innovative electric bike that provides sustainable transportation for the last-mile delivery service.

Sunryde caters to a list of common issues that encumber businesses and is primarily focused on businesses that deliver food and also on the Gig economy, where workers supply any of the current aggregators with delivery services in the restaurant industry.

A strong passion for helping small businesses and the environment is only a fraction of what makes Sunryde stand out in many ways. The need to reduce the cost of local transportation for delivery drivers is of great importance as gig workers depend on a vehicle for their operation.

Electric bikes reduce the costs of gas, and lack of parking is no longer an issue. You can zip through traffic, allowing the food to arrive to the consumer quicker(and hotter), facilitating more deliveries at the restaurant, which drives sales. Other benefits include no parking tickets, no cost and maintenance of a vehicle, no cost of insurance, and so on.

All these expenses cut into business owners’ bottom lines significantly. “We can save them 20-30% of their overhead, which could easily add up to about $3,600 or more annually.” Drivers can invest in owning the bike, or they can rent it for a monthly flat rate or rent-to-own.

Who likes more traffic? No one! Electric bikes reduce traffic congestion removing several hundred cars in already jammed cities at breakfast, lunch, and dinner times each day. “Being a transpiration specialist, I have a huge interest in reducing Co2 pollution, which is a result of current forms of transportation. It’s so unhealthy, especially in cities where so many people live and work. We must cut harmful emissions. Sunryde will help achieve that goal.

The name Sunryde was originally the name for a unique solar product, also designed by Arkadiy, which, in the beginning, had no relation with the new company. “I had designed a mobile phone charger powered by a solar panel that could be used in a car or a house.” We were going to name the product Sunryde. So, I purchased the domain, however never used it.  So, when I came out with an idea for a delivery service company, I felt Sunryde fit perfectly, so that’s how I ended up naming this company.

While designing the bike, Arkadiy wanted a way to spread the word about other local brands. Believing that small businesses are the backbone of the economy, he realized a brilliant revenue-generating opportunity for local businesses, bike owners, and Sunryde. By incorporating 2 pieces of Plexiglas with a sticker on it and lights from inside the discs, he utilized the empty space in the middle of the frame to create an advertising billboard platform.  Currently, the platform is not digitized, it’s just an old-fashioned design and they are testing the concept and eventually will go digital.

Arkadiy has lived all over the US, with amazing experiences in some of the largest cities on the east coast, to the mid-west, now on the west coast in Los Angeles, “where is it so beautiful with the ocean, desert, the mountains and of course great weather year-round. There is a lot of opportunities here, especially with the heavy presence of the automotive industry. We do have expansion plans in warmer large cities across the country, and eventually, we will have a design for a solution in locations with colder seasons. We hope to help them from losing about 20 to 25% of their revenue because of the cold temperatures in the winter season. We will not only be the last-mile delivery company; we also want to become the original equipment manufacturer and create a transportation utility where a driver can still stay warm. It doesn’t have to be precisely a bike, however, it will be about the size of the bike with an encapsulation that will shield the driver from the weather elements.” He shared.

Sunryde plans to service small and midsize businesses, as well as corporate chains that engage with local delivery services. We aim to cut costs on overhead up to 25% paid to the aggregators. We rent bikes at a flat rate and could also provide them with drivers. We will find creative ways to promote our restaurants and businesses that work with us.

Two- and one-half years ago, Sunryde began its journey with design teams and focus groups. Launching just eight months ago, they have already experienced great success in partnership with a good friend and owner of Home Team Kitchens, where their chefs prepare iconic fare typically sold at the stadium during the LA  Dodgers games and events. Together they deliver to raving fans throughout the city during game time that is locked in their homes due to covid. Delivering this comfort food during game time for fans and former stadium attendees of the LA Dodgers games has been a huge welcoming hit during these hard times. So much so, Home Team Kitchens is expanding by popular demand and setting up ghost kitchens in key locations. Sunryde will expand along with them.

Although Arkadiy has lived in many cities, throughout his young life, he loves all sports teams, and right now, he is a Dodgers Fan.

“Currently, we are a unique team of 7 great people working here together in LA. We all mostly come from the mobility, transportation, and automotive industries. I met each member of my team in a variety of ways. I just showed them a sketch of the bike and told them of all the benefits and features, and they wanted to be a part of the company.”

We all like to assist larger companies, restaurant chains, as well as ghost kitchens that provide hyperlocal delivery in a 2-3-mile radius, which is perfect for bikes. Right now, there is a huge demand for this type of solution in the marketplace.

The development team is now working on our V3 model for next year. This one will not fold up. In the beginning, we wanted to provide a solution to help the gig economy worker that lives outside the city yet works in the city. They fold up the bike, put it in their car trunk, get to their destination, take it out of the trunk and work for the day, pack it up, and head home.

One day, Arkadiy, while developing the design for their current bike, focusing on cost, hit a stumbling block. One of the components of the bike is a basket for the back of the bike, used to carry the delivery items. “What we were finding was really expensive, so we were trying to come up with a better solution. Then one day, I visited this restaurant and the busboy, and by accident, dropped his open dish rack, the kind you put in the dishwasher. Initially, I said poor guy, and then I realized that the tray is a perfect size and it can withstand any condition, so I figured this is what we need for a basket. I found a supplier for dishwasher trays. We cut the cost by 34%. We cut the rear wall, attached it, and it fits and is perfect.” I learned that you have to be open and to have gratitude for such lightbulb moments. There will always be challenges in your company or personal life. At the end of the day, you can’t just dwell over what happened, you got to snap out of it and start thinking about what needs to happen to fix the situation. You have to think outside the box. Sometimes in order to survive, you need to get out of your comfort zone and become a true leader.”

For anyone in this industry interested in renting a food delivery bike, Sunryde is the go-to solution. With strong environmental safety features, affordability, an oversized tray for carrying larger or multiple orders or 16-inch pizzas, which is equipped with a “perfect solution to keep the food warm, while on its way to the consumer so when they get their meal like it just came out of the oven.”

Sunryde demands high-quality control and will be positioned to eventually have its own sustainable manufacturing facility, locally, bearing the name Sunryde~ Made in America! We pride ourselves on how we keep the bike clean. We have a daily washing service and our handlebars are made from a nano-material that will not allow microbes or viruses to attach to them.

Arkadiy shared his great experience with Laurel and Jennifer over at the Santa Monica Chamber of Commerce. They offer professional leadership programs, and it’s always great networking with other local business owners.

For the Chamber, it’s all about helping their community. It’s a small community, and it’s nice to see everyone helping each other’s businesses. There is a lot of support and people giving from their heart, it’s beautiful. Speaking of giving, Sunryde offers discounts to the military and students. “We see a lot of need for the homeless and for children in need. We will be developing some fun programs for children and programs that give to homeless shelters. We are already working with the Chamber on this. As a lover of animals, we eventually will give to animal rescue shelters,” he said.

Sunryde is not just for the delivery last-mile service industry. There are a lot of people out there that don’t even have cars, and this is a great opportunity for them to still have some kind of job because they can rent bikes for $97/m. They don’t even have to have a driver’s license. The bike comes with 2 battery packs, each battery with a charge that lasts about 4-6 hours. It takes 4-6 hours to charge, so we suggest getting 2 batteries for an 8-hour shift service day.

The bike costs $799.99, and $319 for the extra battery. Electric bikes are fun, affordable, and practical in the right climate.  We are all about creating a community, developing friendships and relationships as we create cool, fun, and lucrative jobs and side hustles for people.

“I am passionate about the operations of my company, so that is my primary focus. My other focus is on cash flow, operations, and fundraising to expand quickly to meet the demand. Because we are ready to crush it!”

So, there you have it, Sunryde over-delivers with environmental safety, valuable solutions for the last mile workers, rapid delivery services for the consumer, better results for companies requiring local delivery services, all available with a sleek ride and more profitability all around.