When you think about the pressures facing the UK homecare sector — rising fuel costs, recruitment shortages, and mounting pressure to cut emissions — the answer isn't always obvious. For Caremark, one of the UK's leading homecare franchise networks, the answer turned out to be a bike.
Specifically, the Eskuta SX-250: a purpose-built electric cargo bike, designed and manufactured in the UK, that's now being used by Caremark care workers to make home visits to elderly and vulnerable residents across multiple franchise territories.
The Challenge
Caremark franchises operate across hundreds of UK towns and cities, dispatching care workers on daily rounds to clients who need support with medication, meals, mobility, and companionship. Traditionally, these rounds are done by car — which means fuel costs, parking headaches, insurance bills, and a carbon footprint that's hard to justify in 2025.
On top of the operating cost pressures, franchisees faced a recruitment challenge familiar across the sector: attracting and retaining good carers in a competitive market where workers can choose between a wide range of employers.
The Solution
Caremark franchises in Bromley, Worcester, Solihull, and Doncaster began trialling the Eskuta SX-250 as an alternative to car-based rounds on shorter, urban routes. The bikes were specified with full Caremark livery — branded panels, a hi-vis care worker uniform, and a lockable cargo box carrying the carer's kit — making them instantly recognisable in the communities they serve.
The SX-250 is classified as an EAPC (Electrically Assisted Pedal Cycle), which means it requires no road tax, no insurance, and no MOT. A full charge costs around 12p, and the bike can cover the typical daily round on a single battery. For franchisees, the running cost difference compared to a car is stark.
The Results
- Zero fuel cost on routes previously costing £8–12 per day in petrol per care worker
- No insurance required — saving up to £1,200 per year, per rider
- No road tax, no MOT — eliminating annual vehicle admin entirely
- Reduced emissions on short urban rounds where cars are least efficient
- Stronger recruitment appeal — the bikes have become a visible, modern benefit that helps Caremark stand out when hiring
The recruitment angle has been particularly notable. Recruiter magazine covered how Caremark franchises are using the Eskuta e-bikes as part of their employee value proposition — offering care workers a different, more active way to do their rounds, rather than spending hours a day in a car. In a sector where differentiation between employers is difficult, it's become a genuine point of difference.
Custom Branding
Each Eskuta supplied to Caremark is finished with full custom livery — the Caremark logo, brand colours, and a professional appearance that reflects well on the organisation when arriving at a client's home. Far from looking like a makeshift solution, the branded bikes have become a recognisable and trusted part of the Caremark presence in local communities.
The cargo box — mounted above the rear wheel — carries everything a carer needs for a visit, secured and weatherproof. Clients and their families quickly came to recognise the bikes as a sign that their Caremark carer had arrived.
Scaling Across the Network
What started as trials in a handful of franchises has grown into a wider rollout. With Bromley, Worcester, Solihull, and Doncaster all now operating Eskuta bikes as part of their standard fleet, the model is being evaluated by additional franchise territories across the UK.
For Eskuta, the Caremark partnership represents exactly the kind of deployment the SX-250 was designed for: a professional, high-frequency operator with a genuine business case — where the numbers work, the brand is elevated, and the riders and clients both benefit.
Interested in an Eskuta fleet for your organisation? Learn about fleet pricing and custom livery →