Originally Posted by
Tom Stormcrowe
My wife has an assignment in one of her classes to research Bike Messengers and Messenger Companies. She needs a brief group of questions answered if you guys are willing.
1) Any special training to be a bike messenger, or licensing required by the Municipality?
2) What city is bike messenger heaven?
3) On the pay, hourly or piece rate per package?
4) Is there insurance for accidents or injuries, and if not, is this something that would be of interest?
5) What equipment works the best?
6) What is the range of packages carried, by type, from documents to............?
Thanks in advance!
NYC
1. no, must have ID from company, reflectors and a bell.
2. NYC
3. commission rate per delivery. extra for oversize, overweight, wait time, and sometimes bad weather bonus.
4. no insurance, OF COURSE IT WOULD BE OF INTEREST!
5. durability....sealed cartridge hubs, bb, headset, steel frames, large spoke counts, deep rims, good locks, etc. of course you can use anything else but expect to do a ton of maintenance. also nice rides will often be disguised with stickers, paint, chips, etc as a theft deterrent. for clothing it would be wool, polyester, wind breaker, rain gear, thermals, etc.
6. documents, letters, architectural rolls, boxes, packages, garments, most everything is wrapped up so you dont know what it is....
ps there are countless messengers that do not have the right gear, bikes, or training and are risking their lives out of necessity for a very low wage. many messengers here (most likely the majority) are not bike enthusiasts, but just doing a hard days work to get by....
"exploitation" is a word that comes to mind.