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Courier
duo get on their bikes
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Sunday Business Post, April 19, 2009
By Elaine O’Regan
Green motoring may be a government priority but, for Velocity Couriers, the only
real form of green transport involves no motors at all.
A Dublin-based start-up, Velocity is billing itself as ‘the only truly
green courier company in Ireland’. Established six months ago by
couriers Chris Grieve and Graham White, it aims to tap into the growing
demand for environmentally friendly products and services.
Grieve and White have just taken delivery of two Bullitt Cargobikes
from a Danish manufacturer called Harry vs Larry. Measuring almost two
and a-half metres and capable of carrying loads of up to 60kgs, the
cargobikes are a viable alternative to motorbike and car deliveries. As
well as the environmental benefits, the cargobikes - or Long Johns, as
they are known in the trade - offer a nimble alternative to more
mainstream delivery methods, according to Grieve.
‘‘The Long Johns are already used quite a lot in other European
countries for small car and van jobs,” he said.
‘‘They are more efficient because they are faster. You don’t get stuck
in traffic, and you also get a lot more respect from motorists, because
they are quite big - about eight feet long with big aluminium boxes on
the front.”
The cargobikes’ size also makes them hard to miss on the streets,
providing free advertising for the start-up, which is using
cost-effective channels for publicity.
‘‘The on-street presence has worked well for us, because the bikes are
unique in Ireland - no one else has them,” said Grieve.
‘‘Other than that, publicity so far has been through word of mouth, our
website and social networking sites like Twitter and Facebook.”
Grieve has ambitious plans for the company to become the first bike
courier service in Ireland with operations outside Dublin. ‘‘There are
no bicycle couriers operating anywhere in Ireland except for Dublin, so
there are opportunities out there,” he said.
‘‘The environmental issue is something we feel passionate about. We’ve
both been bike couriers for over ten years, so we see first-hand the
pollution caused by heavy traffic, and we can see that there is a gap
in the market for an alternative.”
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