The cargo bicycle’s first route

Text C: an original fiction extract.

The community grocery had borrowed a cargo bicycle for a Saturday delivery trial. Jo tested the parking stand while Pavel counted the order sheets. Pavel, who had agreed to help record the trial, watched the trained rider, Jo, load the first orders. Pavel's own job was to travel separately and meet her at the delivery points, noting arrival times and customers' comments. The organiser wanted to know whether the bicycle could replace some van journeys, not every journey.

Their first calculation used distance alone. Four nearby addresses formed a compact loop on the map. The loading sheet looked less compact: a sack of potatoes, several glass jars and two orders containing only bread and fruit. Jo rearranged the box and checked the load before leaving. Pavel started his timer when she turned the first wheel. At the first house, the customer needed several minutes to find the returnable jars. Pavel stopped the timer when the grocery bags reached the doorstep, then wondered whether collecting the empties belonged to the delivery too.

At the second address, a low passage shown on the map opened into steps. Jo stopped at the entrance rather than attempting it. Pavel walked through to check the address while she waited with the bicycle. They reached the customer from another street, adding a longer level route. The customer said the van driver normally stopped at the back. Nothing in the order record had mentioned a back entrance.

The third customer was not at home. A neighbour offered to take the bags. Jo checked the grocery's delivery instructions before handing them over; the order included the customer's agreed alternative address. Pavel had already marked the stop as completed when Jo asked him to wait until the handover was settled. The fourth delivery was quick, although the customer wanted to know whether the bicycle would always arrive at the same time. Neither Jo nor Pavel could promise that after one morning.

Back at the shop, the organiser compared Pavel's route time with a van journey recorded the previous month. Pavel explained that his first timing had excluded loading and some jar collection. The older van record did not say how many customers had been at home or whether it included loading. Jo added that the trial's small loop had not tested the steep road beyond the estate. She would not describe an untested route as suitable merely because it was short on paper.

The bicycle returned with empty jars and room in its box. A photograph of it would have made the trial look uncomplicated. Pavel put his crossed-out times beside the map instead. He suggested they first agree what a completed delivery meant. The organiser folded away the publicity sheet and asked Jo which parts of the route she would be prepared to repeat.

You are Pavel. Write a report for the grocery organisers evaluating the first cargo-bicycle trial.

In your response:

• explain what affected the route and the work at each stop
• evaluate how reliable the current comparison with a van journey is
• recommend what should be recorded and tested before extending the service

Base your response on Text C, developing its ideas in your own words. Write about 250 to 300 words. Up to 10 marks are available for reading and up to 10 marks for writing.