Case Study: World Bicycle Relief achieves community mobilization and streamlined global collaboration with Dropbox

How World Bicycle Relief is mobilizing people in developing countries

World Bicycle Relief (WBR) is a nonprofit that designs, manufactures and distributes bicycles to improve mobility in developing countries. Facing tough terrain, failed past attempts at mass-produced bikes, and real human costs—like a Zambian healthcare worker who walked nearly ten miles and could only see two patients a day—WBR needed a durable, scalable solution and better coordination across design, manufacturing and field teams.

WBR used field research to design the rugged Buffalo Bicycle and centralized collaboration via Dropbox so design files, manufacturer specs, shipment coordination and training materials stay synchronized across Taiwan, Chicago and African field teams. The result: more than 350,000 bikes delivered across nine countries, a 28% rise in school attendance, 59% improvement in grades, entrepreneurs traveling four times farther carrying five times more, and real-life impact such as that healthcare worker now visiting 15 patients daily—while an ongoing feedback loop continues to refine the product.

World Bicycle Relief

Andrew Hall

Product Manager