|
A bike courier, also known as a bike messenger, is a person who delivers documents or goods using a bicycle as their transportation. It has become an increasingly popular method of delivery, particularly in large cities where traffic jams are on the increase. Bike couriers allow for important documents or fresh foods to be delivered quickly and easily. They are also more environmentally friendly as they do not pollute the environment like cars do. In the early 1860s an invention which used pedals, similar to the bicycle, was invented known as the velocipede. Straight away it was used for delivery purposes. A book written on the early use of bicycles includes accounts into the lives of bicycle couriers. There are also several references in it about how the bicycles were used for delivery purposes by the Paris Stock Exchange in the early 1870s. In 1870 the United States started to use Bike Courier. The Western Union used them to send telegrams in the major cities of San Francisco, Los Angeles and New York. In European countries the bicycle was used as a popular delivery system right up until the third quarter of the 20th century. This was until around 1983 when they became popular again. One of the largest bike courier companies in Europe at that time was the Muddy Fox courier company who used mountain bikes to deliver goods. Bike couriers were not popular, and are still not popular in the European countries of Spain, Italy, France and Portugal. Currently there has been a boom in bike courier services, which is partially down to the ‘green’ revolution and to the fact they do not require gas. Some of the countries that have recent bike courier companies include Mexico City, Costa Rica, Colombia, Buenos Aires and Chile. Most modern day bike carriers use a special navigation system which allows them to follow the quickest route to where they have to get to. They will also have a cell phone or walkie talkie so that they can be urgently contacted and updated with any new collection or delivery jobs they are required to do.
Related Articles -
Bike Courier, Cycle Courier,
| 
