Singlespeed & Fixed Gear - Bicycle Courier

Do couriers work on the weekend? Just curious.

I'd say no.
Since most businesses don't.

hmm...some do, some don't. Varies by company and need actually. I know a few that have done weekend runs (especially around tax season!). The best bike delivery-type job that offers weekend runs is FOOD based jobs. Jimmy Johns, etc.

A typical week as a bike messenger is between 50 and 60 hours. The only thing I did on weekends is drink and rest, in that order. Oh yeah, smoke, too! Sunday night after 60 Minutes, I take a look at my work bike to make sure it's in good order.
There are food delivery gigs that are 7 days, but normally messenger gigs are 5 days. You might fall into something, but don't count on it until they offer.

In Houston I did, but it was just me on bike, a guy with a car and a guy answering the phone forwarded to his house. We had really rich clients at that courier company and delivered 24/7/365. After hours the rates tripled (worth it), holidays the rates doubled again after tripling (really worth it, if like me you were a single dude without much to do on holidays.) During the day there were 10 bikers and god knows how many drivers (car city), the after hours rates kept everyone but the uber rich and the desperate from calling.

Always whack jobs at night and holidays. One chistmas eve, after midnight I picked up a check from a ritzy address, check for $1200.00. Took it to a really crappy neighbourhood to a shifty dude who sniffed it and looked at me suspicious like. Then he gave me a Furby. I took it back to ritzy address and was motioned to the back door by a guy in a darkened window. $100 tip plus my cut of the $125 we charged for that. Not bad. Christmas was always weird after hours.

And yeah, sabretech is right, it was a cherry position, hard to get.

99% don't, a few do. And usually only Saturday from my experience. Working weekends sucks, $20/tag doesn't.

Let me ask you: do companies in a business district/downtown district work on weekends?
Couriering flexes entirely upon who they are couriering for.
There's a reason that many large car delivery services don't deliver on the weekends: most of their clients are commercial. not residential.
I remember in Houston downtown (which employs tons of couriers) was a ghost town after rush hour and on the weekends, only a few nightclubs were open.

We used to have a weekend pager, one person would be on call. It was never me, though, because from what I understand, it paid very well and there was a pecking order for that pager.

One chistmas eve, after midnight I picked up a check from a ritzy address, check for $1200.00. Took it to a really crappy neighbourhood to a shifty dude who sniffed it and looked at me suspicious like. Then he gave me a Furby. I took it back to ritzy address and was motioned to the back door by a guy in a darkened window. $100 tip plus my cut of the $125 we charged for that. Not bad. Christmas was always weird after hours.

that is awesome

no.

']hmm...some do, some don't. Varies by company and need actually. I know a few that have done weekend runs (especially around tax season!). The best bike delivery-type job that offers weekend runs is FOOD based jobs. Jimmy Johns, etc.


I worked in a pub(bar) after working all day on the bike in London, then worked in a bike shop on the weekends.

I worked in a pub(bar) after working all day on the bike in London, then worked in a bike shop on the weekends.
Renaissance Man.

Renaissance Man.

Or skint (broke). That was a very HARD winter...

respect.

i have only done pre-arranged deliveries (i.e., ordered mon-fri for the weekend); i was asked by dispatch if i wanted the job, and i got a nice rate for it. otherwise, regular weekend hours...no.

business hours i get paid by delivery
all others and i get paid by gram