NEITHER RAIN NOR TRAFFIC NOR EVEN SOME RED LIGHTS CAN DETER
THESE BICYCLE COURIERS FROM THEIR APPOINTED DELIVERIES

By Dele Omotunde

Philadelphia Inquirer, October 13, 1987
 

If you regularly walk or drive around Center City, you've undoubtedly seen them often - and probably at one time or another had to do some quick stepping or hard braking to avoid meeting them head-on.

In and out of traffic and danger they dart, knapsacks on their backs as they hunch over the handlebars of their hurtling bikes. You might wonder if they're in training for the Tour de France or filming a sequel to Breaking Away, but no, these are not racers or actors. These are bicycle messengers - a corps of young, hell-bent-for-leather daredevils who are like some latter-day, urban version of the Pony Express.
 

Those who pedal professionally for the half-dozen or so firms employing bicyclists to deliver letters and packages may not be racers, but they are in competition every working day. For they must beat the clock, the traffic, the elements and each other. The pay may not be great, but in the act of picking up and delivering packages within the city, they can find the thrill of victory and the freedom of the street.

"I like to ride in the traffic," said Kevin Cason, a full-time courier for American Eagle Express at 1810 Callowhill St., as he prepared to go on a run recently. "It's a lot of fun cruising along the road with the cars."

"Suicidal," said Michael Fuller of Philadelphia Express Courier Inc. at 1519 South St., describing how it feels to ride in city traffic. Fuller has a scar in the middle of his head, a souvenir of a collision with a car last Christmas, before he joined Philadelphia Express - but he still rides with the traffic, and at times, he said, he cheats at traffic lights.

"It's only risky if you are foolish," said Marc Weil, branch manager of Choice Courier Systems at 2011 Walnut St. "It's like a campfire - it's not dangerous unless you jump into it."

Murray Lewine, president of American Eagle Express, put it more starkly: ''If they are stupid, then they get run over."

What does it takes to be a bicycle courier? Your own bike, your own insurance (if you care for such niceties) and the need to earn a living. The companies supply work and, in most cases, a uniform. Most of them regard the couriers as independent contractors, which is why the job doesn't carry many benefits. It's a vocation that draws vacationing students, dropouts, the temporarily unemployed and people looking to earn a few bucks outside their regular jobs.

Chris Wisen, who is working toward a master's degree in education at the University of Pennsylvania, uses his free days to double as a bike courier for the American Expediting Co. at 2133 Arch St.

When he is not free-lancing as a graphic artist, Larry Feraca mounts his bike for Philadelphia Express. "I have a bike, which I ride every day, and I think I can ride it and make money," he said. "After all, I know the city very well without looking at the map."

For Fuller, who prefers to be called by his nickname, "Strange Wolffe," taking to the streets as a courier allowed him to support his hopes of having a career playing rock-and-roll.

At the center of a courier operation is the office dispatcher, who prepares delivery notes stating where an item is to be picked up and where it is to be delivered. The couriers keep in touch with the dispatcher either by coming into the office or, once they're out on the road, by telephone.

"On a typical working day, I just get up and shoot down to the place," Wisen said, referring to his office. "The dispatcher gives me two or three delivery jobs at a time and I get going."

Most of the courier companies have uniforms and badges for easy identification. Choice Courier has a navy-blue sports shirt with the company logo written in white above the left pocket, and Philadelphia Express has blue lettering on a white shirt. American Eagle Express has its logo in red on a light purple shirt.

A courier must really be a go-getter, a healthy and adventurous type. "He must really be in top shape," said Sunil Patel, vice president of Philadelphia Express. "He must know the city in and out, always have a smile on his face no matter what the weather is."

Couriers who work hard enough may earn as much as $200 to $300 a week, but they will have to sweat for it, because couriers' earnings are commission- based. At Philadephia Express, the commission is 57 percent of the fee for each delivery. At American Eagle Express and Choice Courier, a minimum wage of $3.50 is guaranteed against the commission, which the companies would not disclose. Companies' rates vary, but minimums can range from $3.50 to $8 per delivery.

Obviously, a courier's hustle has a lot to do with how much he earns, but luck plays a role, too. Feraca hit it big barely two weeks into his job at Philadelphia Express, earning $115.50 in one day. The next day, his earnings nose-dived to $5. "That was a bad day for me," said Feraca. It happens like that once in a while, but when it becomes too regular, a courier can get fired.

Then again, many couriers don't stay long on the job. Some stay for two weeks, others for a month or two. "It's a tough life," said Lewine. "That's why they don't stay long."

Fuller, for example, said he was on the job just two weeks before he thought of returning to rock-and-roll. "We work for ourselves, on a commercial basis," he said. "No insurance of any kind. If I get hit, it's whoever hits me that will have to take care of me."

It's just one of the occupational hazards that the bike couriers have had to contend with, but still they pedal the streets, picking up and delivering parcels with competitive urgency.