A motorcycle courier, also known as a despatch rider or motorcycle messenger, is a

courier A courier is a person or organization that delivers a message, package or letter from one place or person to another place or person. Typically, a courier provides their courier service on a commercial contract basis; however, some couriers are ...

using a

motorcycle A motorcycle (motorbike, bike; uni (if one-wheeled); trike (if three-wheeled); quad (if four-wheeled)) is a lightweight private 1-to-2 passenger personal motor vehicle Steering, steered by a Motorcycle handlebar, handlebar from a saddle-style ...

. Motorcycle couriers are common in the major urban centres of Europe, South America (especially Brazil), Asia and North America.

History

At the end of the First World War in 1918, many British Army

Royal Corps of Signals The Royal Corps of Signals (often simply known as the Royal Signals – abbreviated to R SIGNALS) is one of the combat support arms of the British Army. Signals units are among the first into action, providing the battlefield communications an ...

motorcycle

despatch rider A despatch rider (or dispatch) is a military messenger, mounted on horse or motorcycle (and occasionally in Egypt during World War I, on camels). In the UK 'despatch rider' is also a term used for a motorcycle courier. Despatch riders were use ...

s were

demobilised Demobilization or demobilisation (see American and British English spelling differences, spelling differences) is the process of standing down a nation's armed forces from combat-ready status. This may be as a result of victory in war, or becaus ...

and found employment difficult to come by. As a result, they purchased

military surplus Military surplus is goods, usually materiel, that are sold or otherwise disposed of when held in excess or are no longer needed by the military. Entrepreneurs often buy these goods and resell them at surplus stores. Usually the goods sold by th ...

motorcycles, and began couriering in central

London London is the Capital city, capital and List of urban areas in the United Kingdom, largest city of both England and the United Kingdom, with a population of in . London metropolitan area, Its wider metropolitan area is the largest in Wester ...

. Following World War II, increasing urban congestion in London saw riders on small motorcycles making scheduled runs with artwork or copy between printers and advertising agencies or newspapers. In London, radio controlled messengers became especially popular following the 1971 Royal Mail strike when motorcycles were fitted with bulky mini-cab radios. Businesses were pleased with the results and the courier industry took off from the mid-1970s. Pioneers in London included Special Delivery, Yellow Express, GLH, Ambassador, Mercury Despatch,

Addison Lee Addison Lee is a British private hire car and courier company headquartered in London, England. The company was founded in 1975 by John Griffin. It has become one of London's largest private hire companies, handling millions of rides annually. ...

, Security Despatch, Pony Express, Inter City Couriers and City of London Courier Company. By this time Motorola bleepers as well as handheld radios independent of the motorcycle's battery were in widespread use. The advent of

bicycle courier Bicycle messengers (also known as bike or cycle couriers) are people who work for courier companies (also known as messenger companies) carrying and delivering items by bicycle. Bicycle messengers are most often found in the central business dist ...

s and the fax machine in the mid-1980s, as well as the need for appropriate insurance and e-mail in the 1990s, saw an end to the high-earning boom years of the late 1970s and early 1980s for London's motorcycle couriers. However, in the congested cities and capitals of many developing countries, motorcycle couriers are as popular as ever for urban deliveries.

Types of motorcycle couriers

Some couriers work for courier companies on an open circuit with a radio or bleeper, rather like minicabs. Earnings depend on the volume of work and the size of the fleet, and up to a point the speed and street knowledge of the rider. With the greater distances covered in this sort of work, the expenses in running the machine can account for at least 20% of earnings. Some couriers are 'in-house' messengers working for news agencies for a set wage and on set hours, usually staying in the city centre and riding to and from the same places. Running expenses are much reduced, as is the unpredictable nature of the open circuit. Most motorcycle couriers on the open circuit use machines no bigger than 600 cc, which are light and economical in town but adequate enough for occasional long-distance work. Motorcycle couriers are especially common in countries like

Singapore Singapore, officially the Republic of Singapore, is an island country and city-state in Southeast Asia. The country's territory comprises one main island, 63 satellite islands and islets, and one outlying islet. It is about one degree ...

because the cost of car ownership is very high due to car taxes and a

Certificate of Entitlement In Singapore, the Certificate of Entitlement (COE) are classes of categories as part of a quota license for owning a vehicle. The licence is obtained from a successful winning bid in an open bid uniform price auction which grants the legal righ ...

(COE).

References

*
The Carin' Sharin' Chronicles
', Dave Gurman, Digest Publishing (2008); ; 192pp *
Adventures in Motorcycling – Despatching Through 80s London
', Chris Scott (2015); ; 284pp

External links

* {{DEFAULTSORT:Motorcycle Courier

Courier A courier is a person or organization that delivers a message, package or letter from one place or person to another place or person. Typically, a courier provides their courier service on a commercial contract basis; however, some couriers are ...

History

Types of motorcycle couriers

See also

References

External links