logo
episode-header-image
Apr 2021
24m 1s

Pedal power: How bicycles can change liv...

Bbc World Service
About this episode

This is the story of how one man is trying to transform lives through the power of the humble bicycle. Many rural communities in rural Africa don’t have access to cars or good roads, which can make it hard to take fresh produce to market or get to school. But Wyson Lungu wants to change that with an innovative scheme to sell affordable bicycles. We follow him as he delivers a new set of bicycles to excited customers in southern Zambia. Produced and presented by Richard Kenny

Image: unfoldstories.co.uk

Up next
Today
Helping prisoners to become better parents
An innovative scheme in Scotland is helping dads in prison become better parents. Myra Anubi visits Barlinnie jail in Glasgow to meet the prisoners taking part. First they are taught parenting skills and then their children are brought into the jail for sessions of active physica ... Show More
23m 25s
Jan 20
Wild horses
Wild horses have been roaming public lands in the American West for over a century but their population numbers are far greater than what is considered an appropriate management level. This is causing ecological damage and strains on natural resources, in addition to concerns abo ... Show More
31m 26s
Jan 13
No brother left behind
The Igba Boyi apprenticeship scheme, described as the world's largest business incubator, has helped the Nigerian Igbo people build generational wealth in the devastating aftermath of the Civil War.The scheme involves a master mentoring an apprentice who, upon graduation, is "set ... Show More
23m 1s
Recommended Episodes
Dec 2019
Evan Friss, "On Bicycles: A 200-Year History of Cycling in New York City" (Columbia UP, 2019)
Evan Friss, an associate professor of history at James Madison University, historicizes the bicycle’s place in New York City’s social, economic, infrastructural and cultural politics. On Bicycles: A 200-Year History of Cycling in New York City (Columbia UP, 2019) curates a histor ... Show More
49m 26s
Nov 2023
Can a bicycle change a woman's life?
<p>Can a humble bicycle become a tool to empower women worldwide? Kim Chakanetsa meets two cyclists who want more women to get on their bikes.</p><p>Lizzie Deignan is a world champion track and road racing cyclist. She got into cycling by chance, when the British Cycling Apprenti ... Show More
27m 16s
Sep 2020
Rad Power Bikes: Mike Radenbaugh
Growing up in rural Northern California, Mike Radenbaugh hated biking to high school—it was a 16 mile slog; hilly and tiring. So he scrounged up a battery and a motor, rigged them to an old mountain bike and began cycling to school without breaking a sweat. When Mike's neighbors ... Show More
1h 10m
Sep 2021
The Guerrilla Cyclists of Mexico City
Tired of waiting for the local government to build more bike lanes, a group of cyclists in Mexico City, the largest city in North America, took matters into their own hands: they painted the lanes themselves.. As traffic and pollution continue to choke cities, bicycles can ease t ... Show More
28m 33s
Apr 2019
Bicycle
The bicycle was to prove transformative. Cheaper than a horse, it freed women and young working class people to roam free. And the bike was the testing ground for countless improvements in manufacturing that would later lead to Henry Ford’s production lines. Tim Harford considers ... Show More
8m 59s
Jul 2022
How can we get more people on their bikes?
<p>Cycling is healthy, cheap - and as modes of transport go, they don’t come much greener. Worldwide, transport is responsible for nearly a quarter of all carbon emissions, with road transport alone accounting for 75% of that. But so far, most discussions on greening the tran ... Show More
27m 10s
Mar 2022
Le vélo électrique, nouvel eldorado des start-ups françaises ?
<p>Avec une augmentation régulière de 30% chaque année, le marché du vélo à assistance électrique est en plein essor... En France, ce marché est même évalué à un milliard d'euro et devrait poursuivre sa croissance sur les cinq prochaines années. Seulement, la production de vélo é ... Show More
2m 35s
Jan 2021
Comment transformer son vieux vélo en vélo électrique ?
Si le vélo a fait un retour en force ces dernières années, ce sont surtout les véhicules à assistance électrique qui ont gagné en popularité. Cependant, tout le monde n'a pas les moyens d'acquérir vélo, skateboard ou trottinette électriques. Problème résolu avec le kit Clip, perm ... Show More
1m 47s
Aug 2022
The electric transport revolution
New forms of electric transport are revolutionising the way we travel for both work and leisure. Soaring gas prices around the world are encouraging people to look for alternatives such as electric bikes, kick scooters and mopeds.Tara Holmes visits a new bike shop in the Peak Dis ... Show More
19m 5s
Jun 2019
Bicimáquinas (Bicycle Machines)
Carlos Marroquín has always been an inventor. But he wasn’t putting that talent to much use in his native Guatemala until he saw a rare sight on the road that stopped him in his tracks: bicycles. That turning point led Carlos to transform the lives of many farmers and towns throu ... Show More
21m 19s