Why no bicycle delivery services in South Africa

[dave303e]

Scooters are dirt cheap, I think the big Boy Dlight is 17k new, ready with delivery box. You can run that thing 2 straight shifts with different riders, 5 mins to refuel. It will work day and night, get the job done faster. Tyres are cheaper and more durable. You can also hire anyone who can pass a learners test. They don't have to be somewhat fit or physically capable. This opens up a larger labour force. 

E-bike will fade in performance as rider tires, it is slow to charge and ke load shedding.

 

[Shebeen]

2 hours ago, MilkManMike said:

Just a thought, why do the UBER eats/Mr D/Bolt Food etc crowd not have bicycle delivery people in South Africa. Especially with E-bikes becoming main stream now, this makes so much more sense than the scooters and cars for local deliveries, especially in daylight hours.

All over the rest of the world, this is pretty normal. I work overseas on rotation, so often I’m home for a couple weeks at a time on leave. My fiancé works a normal day job, so during the week, I have a lot of free time. When we lived in Dublin, when I was on RnR I did bike deliveries for UBER eats and UBER connect, as well as DoorDash, basically just when I felt like it. Was often a cool way to find new routes around the city, or a motivation to ride when the weather was crap and so on, and the payment was pretty decent, which helped.

 

This morning I tried signing up for Uber Eats and Bolt, but neither offer a bicycle option for Cape Town. Tried Door Dash, but the app doesn’t even show up in the play store, so I’m assuming it’s not available in South Africa, although Im sure I have seen door dash delivery guys in Cape Town before. Pretty disappointed… I’m on a three month RnR now, while waiting sorting out new work permits and so on… only two weeks in, and already pretty bored at home.

Bored at home?

Get hold of these guys and do a few shifts.

Let us know how it goes, should be a jol

https://www.mobilemacs.co.za/ebikes/

(Ps. One of my more out there jobs was as a partycab rider in Vancouver. Basically a human taxi getting drunk Americans back to their hotels. 1$ per block)

[NotSoBigBen]

2 hours ago, The Ouzo said:

Good question. Have also thought that it would be a good idea.

 

I know someone on here tried doing his own bicycle courier type thing at one stage.

I started a bicycle messenger/delivery service during Covid and ran it for a while  ... certainly not financially worthwhile despite all the 'wow that's a great idea' most people will still rather get in their own car and go get the stuff they need sadly.

Luckily I did it for fun and something to do as I had that option, it was a blast while it lasted.

Most people were surprised how quick they got their stuff from a 'bicycle rider' vs a car or motorbike ... all in the suburb stuff but a soon as Covid was over they just hopped back in their car and went and got it.  Go figure?

[MTBRIDER1234]

1 hour ago, MilkManMike said:

I think this is very much area specific. But At least in many parts of Cape Town/Stellenbosch/Somerset West/Gordon’s Bay/Strand etc, I don’t see safety being a major issue. Can’t really see how the motorbikes are any safer than a bicycle would be. 
 

Obviously bicycles would be limited to a smaller radius from the pick up point than a scooter or motorbike would be. So there is definately a case for using both methods. Bicycles restricted to deliveries within 5km radius of the pickup point, while scooters can deliver in the 5km Zone, and further also. Maybe have a particular cut off time for bicycle deliveries, so no bike deliveries after dark etc.

 

I’m not thinking only for my own selfish reasons of wanting to be able to do this, but also the job creation side of it. A cheap bike is a much lower barrier to entry than a motorbike. Meaning more really desperate people could become directly involved in the delivery value chain, truly working for themselves, instead of being exploited by the cartels who now buy all the scooters, and pay desperate people peanuts to work as riders for them.

 

in Dublin as an example, although obviously very different to South Africa, loads of people I met while doing bike deliveries, had lost pretty much everything during covid. They could put food on the table at least by doing bike deliveries. Some even used the city bikes that you rent per hour/day all over the city, while saving up to buy their own bikes, and it was still worth their while, because you could rent a city bike for a couple of euro a day, pick it up anywhere in town, drop it off again anywhere after your shift, and catch the bus back home. If they were only allowed to use motorbikes for delivery, this would never have worked.

Motorbikes are safer in every way. Firstly, it's harder to tackle a guy off a 110kg motorbike when he's doing 50km/h, compared to a guy on a 22kg E bike doing 30... Also if someone comes after you, and you're on a motorbike, you can pin it and get away (admittedly rather slowly on most big boy bikes used for deliveries), whereas on an Ebike, you can get to 32 before it cuts out, and you are using your own power... not much will be left in the legs after a full day delivering.

Bike jackings are a dime a dozen nowadays, so I can see it being a huge issue, especially in you spend hours on the road each day. So insurance is a MUST. 

Also, you are better protected in a crash wearing  a fullface motorcycle helmet, when compared to a comparatively flimsy open face bike helmet. Falling in an open helmet means your face can get cut up badly. Motorbikes also have better brakes, more suspension and you can actually overtake idiot drivers.

I know it's already been mentioned, but refueling a motorbike is a helluva lot faster than recharging an E bike, and those bigboy motorbike engine parts are extremely cheap.

[mecheng89]

2 hours ago, FondTF2 said:

Slightly off topic though.

Have always wondered what would happen if you took an Ice Cream Delivery person or a Post Office delivery person that ride those heavy bikes around and put them on a decent specked road bike, how they would fare?

 

Remember one thing - you become very good at what you do over and over. 

So, that worker becomes good at riding a heavy bike, in one gear, slowly. 

It does not mean however he may not show other endurance potential. 

[madmarc]

3 hours ago, FondTF2 said:

IMHO, two predominant reasons:

1. Safety

2. Criminal Aspect

 

Egzakery !

You stop and Nandos - run inside t get the order - come back outside only to see some Nyaopi junkie riding down the road on your bike 

[betaboy]

3 hours ago, Steady Spin said:

Mr D has electric/pedal delivery bikes. 

… could you please not mention Mr D on here, it’s kinda a sensitive subject for me. 
When the guy started this crazy delivery, we used to do it out of his garage… yeah, should hanged around lot longer… 🙈😬🙈😬

[Zebra]

4 hours ago, The Ouzo said:

I know we supply the bikes with top boxes unbranded to the people buying them. 

Interested to know who you are ‘with’, Ouzo, supplying bikes and boxes…?
Cheers, Chris (Flying Brick…)

Edited May 30, 2023 by Zebra
Clarity

[jacokoe]

6 hours ago, MilkManMike said:

Just a thought, why do the UBER eats/Mr D/Bolt Food etc crowd not have bicycle delivery people in South Africa. Especially with E-bikes becoming main stream now, this makes so much more sense than the scooters and cars for local deliveries, especially in daylight hours.

All over the rest of the world, this is pretty normal. I work overseas on rotation, so often I’m home for a couple weeks at a time on leave. My fiancé works a normal day job, so during the week, I have a lot of free time. When we lived in Dublin, when I was on RnR I did bike deliveries for UBER eats and UBER connect, as well as DoorDash, basically just when I felt like it. Was often a cool way to find new routes around the city, or a motivation to ride when the weather was crap and so on, and the payment was pretty decent, which helped.

 

This morning I tried signing up for Uber Eats and Bolt, but neither offer a bicycle option for Cape Town. Tried Door Dash, but the app doesn’t even show up in the play store, so I’m assuming it’s not available in South Africa, although Im sure I have seen door dash delivery guys in Cape Town before. Pretty disappointed… I’m on a three month RnR now, while waiting sorting out new work permits and so on… only two weeks in, and already pretty bored at home.

Check out Pathway cycles

[babse]

Because people in SA are *** skelm and stealing/robbing these delivery bikes will just become another syndicate...

 

🫢

[MilkManMike]

7 minutes ago, babse said:

Because people in SA are *** skelm and stealing/robbing these delivery bikes will just become another syndicate...

 

🫢

 

4 hours ago, MTBRIDER1234 said:

Motorbikes are safer in every way. Firstly, it's harder to tackle a guy off a 110kg motorbike when he's doing 50km/h, compared to a guy on a 22kg E bike doing 30... Also if someone comes after you, and you're on a motorbike, you can pin it and get away (admittedly rather slowly on most big boy bikes used for deliveries), whereas on an Ebike, you can get to 32 before it cuts out, and you are using your own power... not much will be left in the legs after a full day delivering.

Bike jackings are a dime a dozen nowadays, so I can see it being a huge issue, especially in you spend hours on the road each day. So insurance is a MUST. 

Also, you are better protected in a crash wearing  a fullface motorcycle helmet, when compared to a comparatively flimsy open face bike helmet. Falling in an open helmet means your face can get cut up badly. Motorbikes also have better brakes, more suspension and you can actually overtake idiot drivers.

I know it's already been mentioned, but refueling a motorbike is a helluva lot faster than recharging an E bike, and those bigboy motorbike engine parts are extremely cheap.

So basically just another thing that works wonderfully lol over the rest of the world, in busy capital cities, with loads of traffic etc, but not the rampant out of control criminal element, which makes this not viable/workable in South Africa, sadly. Not even in the relatively first world parts of it…

[MilkManMike]

26 minutes ago, jacokoe said:

Check out Pathway cycles

All good and well, but still another company one needs to work for, who then loans you out to the delivery companies. 
 

In other cities around the world, all you need is a bicycle and a smartphone, and you can work for yourself.

If I could buy one of those pathway bikes, sign up to an app like Uber eats, and be on my way, great, but I can’t, I have to work for pathway cycles… just ads another link in the supply chain, and besides, I don’t need a bike, I already have one, I just want to use it to do deliveries…. One thing South Africa is great at, is creating lots and lots of middlemen. That’s essentially half the reason eskom is in the state it is in…

[Bicycle Yard WESTERN CAPE]

As nice as that would be the guys driving scooters get harrased and gunpoint alot already.

 

Imagine what they would do to a guy on a bicycle.

 

I know that there was testing in Stellenbosch with E-bike type bikes , but one doesn't see alot of them anymore.

 

But I think it's dependant on which neighborhoods they request. 

 

But yeah, nice Idea but SA's crime unfortunately wouldn't recommend...

 

 

[The Ouzo]

11 hours ago, Zebra said:

Interested to know who you are ‘with’, Ouzo, supplying bikes and boxes…?
Cheers, Chris (Flying Brick…)

We've chatted before Zebra. I'm at Honda. But i dont sell bikes, the guys on the otherside of the showroom do though.

[Zebra]

ah yes, I remember now, thanks!

Chris

[devvydoesdonuts]

I don't know how I feel about the idea of deliveries on bicycles as the roads are already a risk with these delivery guys from MrD all the way to Checkers 60Sixty. I am guaranteed to see at least one sort incident or close call with these guys every day I am on the road, adding bicycles into the mix and these guys will be even more of a risk to themselves and other road users. All these things work really well overseas as the law is enforced and people are generally that much more respectful of others on the road, whereas here majority of the road users have become a law unto themselves.