Spandex, Rubber, and Chains: Welcome to the World ofthe Bike Courier
by Sierra H. Bacque
Onset Magazine, June/July 1995
All of a sudden, they're everywhere. Gracing transit-shelter ads fora certain citrus fruit. Featured on nightly newscasts. Surfacing as characterson TV shows and in contemporary novels, such as Virtual Light byWilliam Gibson. To say nothing of their presence on the streets of thecountry's urban centres, where they pedal their trade in greater numbersthan ever.
The entry of the bicycle courier into the realm of popular culture mayhave begun with Quicksilver, a 1985 destined-for-TV movie starringKevin Bacon. In this riches-to-rags tale, Bacon plays an arrogant New Yorkstock trader who loses it all and makes an improbable, immediate transitionto humble bike messenger. His fellow couriers carry no radios or pagers,there isn't a helmet in sight, and no one bothers to lock their bikes -after all, it's only New York City.
Though a modest canyon lies between the reality of courier life andits Hollywood depiction, the world of the bicycle courier is being recognizedas a unique subculture - one that is generating interest, curiosity, andperhaps even a little bit of envy.
Freedom. That's the resounding reply from those asked: what’s the bestthing about working as a courier? Of course, this isn't complete freedompackages still have to get from point A to point B, and get there on time.But freedom from office politics, from the boss breathing down your neck,and from numbing routine seems to be freedom enough.
Despite the industry's nascent glamour-status, there’s a lingering notionthat courier companies are repositories of human flotsam and jetsam; thatcouriers are people who can't do anything else. This ain't necessarilyso. Bike couriers are sort of the al fresco equivalents of office temps.They are artists, actors, and musicians. They are skilled people betweenjobs. They are people who are allergic or unwilling to submit to the confinesand drudgeries of the suited universe.
Perhaps the most enviable aspect of the couriers' existence has to dowith the bonds that unite them, These ties are palpable, and couriers area fiercely loyal lot.
The courier community has completely enveloped my life," says 24-year-oldAnita Hurley. Hurley lives in a "courier house" with her courierboyfriend and another friend who is also a courier. There are courier bands,courier parties galore, and coming soon to a boutique near you, a lineof courier fashions.
Bread Spreads, the bustling cafe in Toronto's downtown core, is partrestaurant, part community centre and action-central for the city's couriercommunity. Owned and run by a married couple, ex-messengers both, BreadSpreads is the place to grab a coffee, sit down for a bite, or hang outwhen the work is slow Staff and patrons all know each other, and know animpressive amount about their shared business from the rates and reputationsof the countless courier companies to the industry standards south of theborder and beyond. The couriers‘ unofficial info-sharing network rivalsthe Internet for speed, efficiency, and reach. Sometimes this knowledge-as-poweris seen as a threat: one Toronto company, which asked not to mentionedby name, forbids its messengers from setting foot in Bread Spreads duringbusiness hours
So what about the work? How's the money?
Couriers are paid by the delivery and according to the urgency, sizeand weight of each package. The money isn't as good as some would haveus believe. A recent Toronto Life report that couriers average $700 a weekelicited laughter from those interviewed for this article. Veterans ofthe scene say that $500 or $600 was not unheard of back in the mid-to-late'80s. But rates have come way down since then, About $350 a week is morelike it.
That's $350 minus expenses, like radio rental and bike maintenance andrepairs. Couriers, technically, are independent contractors, not employeesof the companies that "hire" them. I they're sick and can't work,they get no sick pay If they're injured, they're not eligible for Workers'Compensation These facts of life can be real drawbacks in a line of workthat is so well, fraught with peril,
For most of us, a door-prize is a tempting giveaway bestowed upon alucky winner. To a bike courier, a door prize is when motorist opens acar door into the path of your oncoming bicycle a collision in which thedoor is virtually always the victor.
Every courier has a war story, a tale of an accident or a near miss.Twenty-year-old Larissa Ziesmann was hit by a cab and knocked into a hydropole her first day on the job but, luckily sustained no lasting injury.Sean Noonan, 19, wasn't so lucky. In February 1993, he was hit by a cabwhile cycling during his off-hours, and was unable to walk for four months.He's had two operations on his leg and worked one month in the last 12.
While many couriers are quick to cite reckless cabbies and clued-outpedestrians as the real hazards on the roads, the more diplomatic amongthem say it's all a matter of awareness . Motorists, cyclists, and pedestriansalike need to resent each other a little less, and look out for each othera whole lot more.
"Don't encourage them." That was the warning from one managerat a Toronto courier company when he heard this article was in the works.There's enough attitude out there as it is." One can empathize withhis plight, it must be difficult to be an authority figure to a communityof rebels. Nevertheless, with the congestion of downtown traffic and theimpossibility of city-core parking, bike couriers, and their attitudes,are here to stay. This is not a bad thing. Couriers bring glimpses of humanityonto crowded office elevators, flashes of colour to dreary urban landscapes.And, while it's hard to envy those who have to brave Winnipeg in the wintertime,there are certainly worse ways to make a living.
If you have comments or suggestions, email me at messvilleto@yahoo.com