Halifax Chronicle Herald, June 17, 1986
By Brian Ward, Business Reporter
High noon and the traffic on Spring Garden Road is packed tighter thana box of Bud the Spud's french fries
"This is the lime when I really clean up," says David Jones,who weaves his mountain bike through downtown traffic delivering packagesfor Carry Courier Ltd, of Dartmouth.
While rush hour traffic is stopped dead, the 20-year-old Haligonianis zooming between lanes and jumping curbs to make deliveries at twicethe speed of his car-driving competitors.
He is on commission, collecting 60 per cent of what the courier companycharges so speed is essential.
Bicycle couriers, unavoidable in cities such New York, Toronto and Vancouver,are just beginning to appear in Halifax. About half a dozen riders nowwork for three companies in the metro area and their numbers are growing.
Carry Couriers is not a cycle courier per se; it has six cars and onlyone bike rider. Owner Michael Lundrigan said cycle delivery "is justan experiment. If it works, well be adding other bicycles."
One of the newcomers is Cycle Couriers, started last year with an interest-freeloan from the provincial Youth Entrepreneurial Skills Program. With onlytwo cyclists and one motor-scooter rider, the company has been undercuttingthe standard $3.00 city core delivery rate by 15 cents.
For $2.85, Cycle Couriers guarantees one-hour delivery in the down townarea. It has a Monday- Tuesday special for new clients at $l.99,
This aggressive price-cutting by summer operators - cyclists quit inthe winter - has angered some, conventional couriers, Jim Khona, ownerof Intercity Delivery, says he has lost "about four or five per cent"of his business to new operators this year.
Increased competition, particularly from smaller outfits, has forceda number of closures and mergers recently, Mr. Khona said in an inter view."Three or four have gone out of business Prompt Couriers, MaritimeCouriers, Pronto Couriers others merged."
Captain Courier, the most recent company to enter the market, is morecycle oriented with three bikes, one motor scooter and a car. Michael Page,who prepared a business plan for a courier service while in Saint Mary'sUniversity's Master of Business Administration Program started the companythis year.
All couriers have bonded drivers with two-way radios. His riders wearfull uniforms and clients are called once the delivery is made. Mr. Pagesaid traffic problems have helped boost his fledgling business but theparking squeeze is also a concern.
Police are quick to ticket couriers who park cars in no-parking zones.but bicycles often escape notice.
Bikes are also cheaper to keep on the road, Mr. Page said. David Nantau,general manager of Action Delivery and Messenger Service Ltd. of Halifax,sees both sides of the issue. With 50 cars, Action is the largest companyserving the $5-million-a-year metro courier market.
It too, has felt the pressure of new operators moving in and cycle outfitsare just one more competitor, Mr. Nantau said. Action hired the first Halifaxbicycle courier, Byron Bezanson, three years a go.
"The idea of a cycle courier is great. They provide good servicein congested times, but when September comes they're gone."
Most companies like to play down the wild reputation that riders havein cities such as Toronto and Vancouver. Daniel Cross, a co-founder ofCycle Couriers and rider says he is "not overly aggressive. We makea point of not drawing attention to ourselves. That just creates troublewith the police."
Some revel in the daredevil image, however. "I like to think of'myself as a little outs," says Carry Courier's Jones. "You haveto be crazy to make good money doing this." On an average day, Joneshandles 30 calls, on a good day, 50.
The central character of the re cent movie Quicksilver, about an aggressivebicycle courier who wins an Olympic medal, is typical of the way a goodmany riders look at the job. It is patterned after the U.S. Olympic silvermedalist Nelson Vails, who dashed through New York's busiest streets deliveringpackages before winning a silver medal in 1984.
In busier cities, riders number in the hundreds and accidents are common."It’s a little tamer here in Halifax, says Jones, who first got ideaof riding for a courier service while visiting Vancouver.
But he has had close calls once slipping on a wet iron sheet and endingup under an 18-wheeler, another time climbing the back of a car whose driverunexpectedly slammed on his brakes.
Jill Duff of Halifax, who just finished a physical education degreeat 'Dalhousie University, started with Captain Courier seven weeks a go.She rides conservatively and has avoided mishaps so far, although she hashad "a few close calls."
Why take up what some see as the "macho" business of dodgingtraffic at a couple of dollars a trip? "To keep in shape and be outdoors....butits a bit of a breakthrough for women. I think that's important."
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