Anyone worked as a courier before?

[Deserted]

Hi all, I expect to be in London next year and may stay there for a while. SInce I am on my bike a lot and don't have any trouble cycling 50-100km in the heat here, I was thinking of doing some courier work. I was wondering if anyone on this forum has ever done it and how they found it. For someone used to city traffic and loves cycling it seems like a great job to have.

[Tivent]

Doesnt souds very fun to me

[bobfish]

Good luck Deserted, a quick google search makes me sure you'll enjoy it! 

Disregard the naysayers, and get on with it.

[Deserted]

Well, I am thinking about it. I've been looking at videos on you tube but this has made me unsure as the couriers ride around like children at best or complete idiots at worst. I'm a bit too old to be jumping every red light and cycling on the pavement, however, think I'll give it a shot -being a courier that is, but a more sensible one. 

[StreetCowboy]

9 hours ago, Deserted said:

Well, I am thinking about it. I've been looking at videos on you tube but this has made me unsure as the couriers ride around like children at best or complete idiots at worst. I'm a bit too old to be jumping every red light and cycling on the pavement, however, think I'll give it a shot -being a courier that is, but a more sensible one. 

It'll help if you are intimately familiar with the streets of London, the traffic flows, light sequences etc.  But you'll learn on the job, no doubt.

[Deserted]

Haven't cycled there in about 20 years, didn't find it a problem last time though. A lot of people slag it off but compared to Bangkok I would say its much easier to cycle around.  

[HooHaa]

I was a cycle messenger for about 5 years in Vancouver but that was almost 25 years ago.

 

It's pretty high stress, very repetitive and an absolute nightmare when it rains. 

 

If my experience was a thing to go by, it takes a very good knowledge of the city, and about a year to build up enough juice with dispatch to make a decent living at.

 

Unless you have someone feeding and routing you properly, you are just riding your ass off for pennies a day, especially in summer when everything slows down.

[Deserted]

I guess there is a big difference between cycling for pleasure and cycling against the clock to make money. Especially in the rain, which London has a bit of.

[tahaan]

On September 5, 2016 at 11:48 PM, Deserted said:

I guess there is a big difference between cycling for pleasure and cycling against the clock to make money. Especially in the rain, which London has a bit of.

 

I can handle the rain, it's Addison Lee and other 'professional' drivers that spoils my London commutes.

[impulse]

On 9/5/2016 at 11:48 PM, Deserted said:

I guess there is a big difference between cycling for pleasure and cycling against the clock to make money. Especially in the rain, which London has a bit of.

 

Yeah.  The pay's better.

 

Go for it!  Worst case?  You don't last long.  Best case?  You love it and make some decent coin.

[Deserted]

yeah, that's the plan.