December 1989
1. Identification
Purpose:
(a) Customer Protection: The customer of the courier company should know that the individual is licensed.
(b) Building Security: Building management companies have recently been more cautious about control of who can enter buildings. Identification on bicycle couriers would be helpful.
(c) Control (proof of license): Any licensing program is useless unless it is easy to identify those with a license.
(d) Identification: Although further indication may be necessary as evidence, a courier license could assist police investigation of hit and run incidents.
Recommendations:
(a) The prime identification should be on the courier in the form of a laminated card with a photograph.
(b) Any identification on the bicycle should be inexpensive and duplicates should be readily available. This would allow a courier with more than one bicycle to change bicycles mid day or mid week.. Mechanical difficulties or changes in the weather may make such a change necessary. Requiring the license to be in a specific place on the bicycle and facing a specific direction would be desirable, but may prove to be difficult, as in recent years many sizes and shapes of bicycles have come in to use.
2. Employee Protection (helmets etc.)
Couriers should not be singled out. The Highway Traffic Act or other legislation regulating all cyclists would be a more appropriate way to deal with this issue, as was done with motorcycles.
3. Training and Testing
Sunwheel tested riders for a number of years and came to the conclusion that very little was accomplished by this. A week after the test people were riding in an entirely different manner. A safety check of the bicycle is somewhat useful, but doesn't guarantee maintenance afterward. The cost of a training and testing program as part of licensing could make it difficult to recruit new couriers.
4. Insurance
(a) Rates for cargo insurance are based on sales, rather than on replacement value of goods carried. Most goods carried by bicycle couriers are replaceable paper. The cost of cargo insurance would place an unfair financial burden on bicycle couriers.
(b) A dishonesty bond that covers each courier for $50,000 protection against theft of a customer's documents can be obtained for a reasonable cost, in our experience.
(c) Requiring Workers' Compensation coverage of bicycle couriers is expensive, but may be a desirable requirement, because of the nature of the business, and its inherent risks.
If you have comments or suggestions, email me at messvilleto@yahoo.com