France welcomes its first bicycle-hearse

An unusual-looking cargo bike is attempting to shake up the funeral business in France.

The ‘Corbicyclette’, a mash-up of the french words for hearse and bicycle, is the brainchild of Isabelle Plumereau. 

She runs a small funeral home called ‘The Sky and the Earth’ in Paris.

Her new cargo bike is designed to take full-sized coffins, in the place of traditional, motor-driven hearses. 

“The Corbicyclette is a proposal for families that I accompany with a new ritual, especially at the cemetery,” says Plumereau, adding it allows for “a slow, silent, quiet procession, to the rhythm of the steps of the people who walk behind and who make the procession.”

“I am as attached to the form as to the content,” she continued. “For me, it is very important to accompany the families by proposing to them to put meaning in the ceremony, but also by proposing to them to put beauty. Because beauty is what will also bring comfort.”

Isabelle’s company hopes to integrate sustainable principles into the funeral industry. 

Similar ‘Corbyiclettes’ already exist in the United States and Denmark.

Her version is two metres long and has electric assistance, which enables it to tackle steeper roads. This cargo bike would be the first in France and its services should be available this autumn.

France welcomes its first bicycle-hearse
Source: Reporters View PH