Whether you realize it or not, bike couriers have always an essential part of keeping businesses going. Whether they're transporting food or supplies, bike couriers are integral in keeping the world moving.
Never has that been more true than now, when bike couriers are literally essential in keeping our cities safe and running.
We've been partnered with PDQ Courier since 2019 to help us bring your helmet orders to YOU. Today, they're playing an essential role in delivering food and supplies to those who need them most. We sat down with our friends at PDQ Courier to learn more about their business, what it takes to be a bike courier, and what we all can do to support them at a time like this.
Thousand: Tell us a little bit about PDQ Courier. When and why was it started?
PDQ: PDQ Courier is a woman owned and operated small business. We provide an alternative delivery service, providing a reliable, professional, eco-friendly, and low cost service for small businesses. We started back in 2016, and continue to stand our ground against big corporate delivery services. Our company was created to support our small businesses with low cost and feeding the growth of our cycling community.
T: What advice do you have for those who want to become bike couriers? Any must-have gear that you need to start?
PDQ: Working as a courier, it’s not only about speed, but also being efficient and making sure your deliveries get to their destinations safe and intact. Logistics plays a big part of our work, you need to be able to see the bigger picture and to find the best routes and the best orders for everyone. Having a reliable bicycle, a large messenger bag or backpack, and a good working knowledge of your zone that you’re working in are the big things you need to know and have to be successful as a courier. While you do all your tasks on your own, you still need to be able to work as a team to get all the jobs done. Curve balls come out of nowhere, and the workflow often needs to be adjusted on the fly, so you and your team need to be able to adapt to the changes. Your own critical thinking and problem solving skills are also imperative. There are times where only you can solve an issue in person and nobody else from your team can help you. Staying cool, calm and collected will help you get through your day with a lot less stress.
T: How can people support PDQ Courier, your riders, and other local courier services right now?
PDQ: Supporting us here at PDQ is very easy! The best way would be to use our ordering platform to support us, our couriers, and our partnered restaurants. Ordering through our platform (link to their app/platform here) brings workflow to our couriers and will also save our restaurants from hefty commission fees from other food delivery apps. If any of our partnered restaurants accept call-in delivery orders, that is also a great way to support us and our partnered clients. Mention us to your favorite restaurant so we can continue to grow! Don’t get us wrong either – we’re an all around courier company, if you need mail picked up or anything else you can find that on our app as well. We also have pretty rad merchandise on our platform. Lastly, always tip your couriers or delivery people for their services.
To help do our part to support the cycling community, Thousand is running Courier Care – a program to give free helmetsto bike couriers and protect those who are providing essentials like food, supplies, or medical resources. If you're a bike courier working at this time, please contact us to receive your free helmet. You can also spread the word and share this blog post with any couriers you know.
