“For some people it's like opening a new world with he cargo bike. It’s making someone believe that we can work and live in the same city and not need a car. And that is huge” 

It’s no secret that there are a lot of mountains and hill tops in Switzerland. And one might think that all of those steep hills and mountain ranges would mean that bikes aren’t something the Swiss have a lot to do with. And in some way that is true. Only 8 % of the Swiss population regularly ride a bike. But in the town of Basel a bike loving couple are trying to change that. The shop Obst & Gemüse is run by Michel Röthlisberger and Jacqueline xx, who’ve been together for 25 years and who have run one of the most successful bike shops in Switzerland for 11 of them.  

 “Neither of us have a long history of working with bikes. We weren’t working and learning in the bike shops or learning how the mechanics do what they do. My story is that I was a bike messenger, and a passionate touring rider. I went backpacking with the bike for several months, so in that way I’ve been involved with bikes for many years, but not in the traditional way”, Michel Röthlisberger says and explains that he thinks the untraditional way that he and his wife got into the business has helped them turn it into something more that just a bike shop. 

“Jacqueline, my partner was a graphic designer and I was a web designer, and even though we had an interest in bikes it wasn’t really in the cards for us to open up a bike shop. But then again, it’s not a bike shop for us. We have a totally different perspective, it's part of our life. It’s something where we can do what we think is best for us and the customers or the cities of Switzerland”. 

  The motor is everything 

  And what is best for the cities of Switzerland? Well if you ask Michel Röthlisberger it’s bikes. But not just any bike. Electrical bikes. And preferably, cargo bikes. 

“Without a motor it would be impossible to get cargo bikes out i Switzerland. It gives the people opportunities to do stuff that they never would have been able to do without a motor. Going about their daily lives without a hassle, taking day trips that they would otherwise have needed a car to go on. It gives people a chance not to need a car in the city”, Michel explains and says, that it actually wasn’t until he and Jacqueline had children of their own that they started working with cargo bikes. 

  The motor is everything 

  And what is best for the cities of Switzerland? Well if you ask Michel Röthlisberger it’s bikes. But not just any bike. Electrical bikes. And preferably, cargo bikes. 

  “Without a motor it would be impossible to get cargo bikes out i Switzerland. It gives the people opportunities to do stuff that they never would have been able to do without a motor. Going about their daily lives without a hassle, taking day trips that they would otherwise have needed a car to go on. It gives people a chance not to need a car in the city”, Michel explains and says, that it actually wasn’t until he and Jacqueline had children of their own that they started working with cargo bikes.