Since 2002 we have put more than 47,500 bicycles into South African communities, along with the skills to keep them running.
about us
At the Bicycling Empowerment Network (BEN), we believe that access to a bicycle can open the door to greater opportunity.
BEN works to create affordable, sustainable mobility and economic opportunity through bicycles. We collect, repair and repurpose donated bicycles, making them available to people and communities who need affordable transport.
what we do
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We sell and donate affordable bicycles. We give donated bicycles a second life in our Cape Town workshop and sell them at prices people can afford. A bicycle can make it easier to get to school, reach work, or take up an opportunity that might otherwise be out of reach.
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A bicycle is only useful if you can keep it on the road. We teach people to maintain and repair their own bikes, from a one-day course to three-week mechanic training. We help people keep themselves and their communities moving.
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Some of the people we teach have never been on a bicycle. We run Learn to Ride days for them, and teach safe cycling at schools and in communities, so every new rider knows how to stay safe on the road.
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Riding safely depends on more than the rider. We work with the government and other cycling organisations to push for safer roads, and for cycling to be part of transport planning.
