Parcel Delivery By Bike

Parcel Delivery By Bike

Posted on 10. Nov, 2009 by Melanie Meyers in Bicycle Delivery

Streetsblog recently posted a request for photos of bikes at work.  The result is an exceptional slide show of bikes and people completing a wide assortment of activities from hauling trash and water to delivering packages to cruising to the beach with a surfboard and much more.  The photos are from all around the world, which indicates the global appeal and utility of using bicycles to accomplish a wide range of tasks.

Utility Cycling sent in a photo (the header photo in this post) from one of our sister sites – Bike Trailer Blog – of the crew at Bike Trailer Shop picking up trash and recycling for Earth Day in Flagstaff, AZ, in 2008.  You can read more about that trash-hauling extravaganza here.

bike-trailer-shop-earth-day-garbage-pickupBicycle Delivery

The Streetsblog slide show inspired me to return to the category of bicycle delivery for our next post.  In our first post at Utility Cycling, we began to define utility cycling and all of the different categories of utility cycling practice.  Naturally, bicycle delivery is one of the most important categories of utility cycling.  Bicycle delivery encompasses a wide range of activities, but most simply, it means using a bicycle to deliver a good.  For the most part, bicycle delivery is a wide-open category, and there is a ton of potential for bicycle delivery activities.

The wide range of activities that can be done in the bicycle delivery category are mainly dictated by the types of goods being delivered.  Bicycle deliveries can range from important paperwork to small-medium sized parcels to take-out or pizza to large parcels and even furniture.  The potential for bicycle delivery is mediated by the equipment being used for the delivery.  Paperwork and small packages may only require the delivery person to use a bag, while on the other hand, large parcels might require a bicycle cargo trailer and furniture or large cargo might require a freight bicycle or heavy duty trailer.

xtra_delivery

This brings me to the subcategory of bicycle delivery – parcel delivery.  Parcel delivery, as I am conceptualizing it, mainly refers to delivering small to medium-sized packages by bicycle.  For the most part, this type of delivery is done by small courier businesses, which generally operate within a specific geographic area (usually a city and perhaps somewhat beyond).  There are businesses like these all over the world, from Dublin, Ireland, to Bend, Oregon, and many places in between.  It is quite uncommon, in the U.S., anyways, to hear of a large corporate delivery company using bicycles to make deliveries.  That is, until last year, when UPS started doing exactly that.

UPS Bike Delivery

Bicycle delivery is an important form of commercial cycling (i.e. making money by bicycle), which you can learn more about in the book Cycling for a Profit: How to Make a Living With Your Bike by Jim Gregory.  When I tend to think of commercial cycling, I tend to think of small businesses and start-up companies.  However, my assumptions have been proven wrong – to some degree – by the United Parcel Service (UPS).

In what was largely characterized as a money-saving move, last winter, UPS added a fleet of cyclists throughout Oregon and southwest Washington to deliver small parcels and goods by bike.  This video from Pacific Pedaling shares the story from one UPS rider’s perspective.

UPS purchased a fleet of bicycles, trailers, and safety gear and sent a handful of riders on their merry way to deliver packages.  Many riders managed to deliver quite a few more packages than the 25-50 packages per day they were expected to be able to deliver.  Despite the fact that UPS trucks can deliver nearly 150 packages per day, UPS estimates that the cost savings is somewhere in the realm of $38,000 in fuel and repair costs for every three cyclists.  And the response from people receiving the packages was overwhelmingly positive.

Interestingly enough, UPS has its roots in cycling.  The company was originally founded by some commercial cyclists in 1907, and many of the initial deliveries were made by foot or bicycle.  Nowadays, UPS can generally be spotted by the big, brown trailers that cruise around town, but in some ways, the holiday bicycle delivery is coming full circle.  I sure hope to hear about UPS doing this again in 2009 and not just for the holidays.  It sounds like the savings incurred by the company were substantial, so why not do it more throughout the year?  I would imagine that with a little organization and foresight, a strategic model could be put into place for UPS and other large delivery companies such as FedEx, DHL, and others to use bicycles.

8 Responses to “Parcel Delivery By Bike”

  1. This Week in Commuting News | Commute by Bike

    15. Nov, 2009

    [...] Utility Cycling is being utility by delivering with their bikes. [...]

  2. barton cohen

    19. Nov, 2009

    response to utility cycling or cargo delivery we are based in new jersey near phila ,pa,we understand how hard it is to start this industry,and i mean not bicycle delivery but cargo,education is the key,we have the bikes,the athletic abilty ,and years of riding experience mt biking ,and on dutch made transport bikes,if there is anybody out there in this part of the usa phila,new jersey,wash d.c.included that would like to either collaborate with us to make it easier or invest time money would be obtional since this venture does require hard physical work,thanks barton cohen babylulu@comcast.net

  3. barton cohen

    02. Dec, 2009

    this is a follow up to barton cohen ie cargo bike delivery,yes it is physical work,but as we see it ups has tried it on a limited basis,was this just good pr,or are they dangling a carrot to see if it works on a larger scale,we look at it much differently,they are locked in to big box trucks ,even if they wanted to introduce more cargo bike delivering parcels,it would be difficult,it is the same story,the opportunity is there,just like the interent 15 years ago when amazon gambled on books,and people said it was just mail order with a button,now borders,and barnes and noble are linked to them they watched it go right by,no one really knows how anything new takes shape or finally becomes more mainstream,this is how we feel we see a need,and are are using all of of our resources to be ahead of the curve,,since we are tiny we are nimble and change radically day to day thanks barton cohen

  4. Melanie Meyers

    02. Dec, 2009

    Hi Barton,

    Thanks for the comments. It sounds like you have a great cargo bike great business going. If you want to send along some photos and information, we will feature you in a delivery related post in the future.

    And as for UPS, I think their foray into cargo bike delivery is probably a bit of both – good PR and an attempt to see if it works on a larger scale, as you say. Hopefully, as more and more businesses like UPS try out delivery by bike, it will become easier and more mainstream for others. You are certainly aiding in that with your business. Best of luck.

  5. barton cohen

    11. Dec, 2009

    thanks for your reply i will as soon as can get you some detailed information and photos on my cargo bike and we do some buisness by our honda hybrid .,we find it gets well over 50 miles per gallon and serves as a great reminder along with our bikes to get people if they want to drive,they can not only save money,but more important when you drive it correctly it is working more on electric,,as i mentioned to you before it would be great to feature us in a related post,as you have suggested,in the meantime do you think that additional information or photos and information would entice somebody who is skilled enough to ride in all kinds of weather,that would want to collaborate with me in new jersey or i would be flexible to relocate if that person had better demographics or experience thanks again for your help barton alternative health and transportation company

  6. barton cohen

    17. Dec, 2009

    hi i see you recieved my mails regarding cargo delivery my web site is now transition,as far as photos,on my transportation i own a high performance mt bike names pronghorn danish built ,nothing quite like it in this parts,has many innovations,not gadgets, to help rider perform in bad weather and road conditions,also have 2 dutch henry transport bikes,heavy duty 55 lbs each can achieve great speeds on open roads,can haul weight 4or5times its size,we have trained,on this and others, for over 4 years so our company can perform at peak performance ,we are not ups,and this is not a test,we have developed many unqiue marketing innovations,for the time being shall remain a buisness secret,once we start to expand from a small buisness to reallly changing the way we transport parcels,etc,we hope we will be above the learning curve,ups in the meantime might be testing,i will leave that to them thanks again for your posting of my information,hope this helps others who have the vision to see the future and start now thanks again barton cohen

  7. Melanie Meyers

    17. Dec, 2009

    Best of luck with your business, Barton!

  8. barton cohen

    28. Jan, 2010

    thanks melanie meyers now i hear that whole foods in austin texas is using cargo bikes to deliver food for lunch and dinner again good pr or it is sustainable,nobody knows i sense that if you are going to deliver it has to be done by the right riders,right product mix right demographics, our company is continuing to work at it day and nite,we have the experience of being in the delivery buisness over 35 years ago first and then again 15 years different product different demographics,now we are using our experience to take it to a new level keep up the blog barton cohen

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