Bike Courier Melbourne

Resound wrote:
This is something I've considered myself. I'm a student and I'm
certainly not looking for full time work, but a day or two a week would
be great. I'm in Melbourne. Any thoughts as to who I should get in
contact with? Which courier companies employ bikes?



--



Not sure what things are like now (and Byron27 sounds like the best
person to answer), but the "job interview" I went to way back 20 years
ago was amongst the funniest I've ever had. I rolled up to find about 20
people in suits and various other best clothes. I had trakkie pants and
a t-shirt and was obviously the only one who had ridden there. The guy
from Dart came out, took one look at the crowd, pointed to me and said
you've got the job. I wish they were all that easy.

DaveB

Resound wrote:
This is something I've considered myself. I'm a student and I'm
certainly not looking for full time work, but a day or two a week would
be great. I'm in Melbourne. Any thoughts as to who I should get in
contact with? Which courier companies employ bikes?


It's pretty hard to get casual/part time as a courier. Wizz employ a fe
students, as do Cox (I think) and Couriers 3000 (about three years ag
when I last checked). Sweet job but


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byron27 wrote:
2) As my operator said, ad nauseum, "we are at the pointy end of the
industry". Basically, everyday will be highly intense. From 730 in
the morning until 515 in the arvo, i used to go, go, go. No lunch, no
breaks, no nothing. Breaks occurred when i was clear, or in the lift,
whenever. I have mastered eating a roll and drinking a choc milk in
under a minute. Yeah, you can take it cruisey if you like, but dont
expect to make good coin.
This really depends on your company. When I was working I sometimes got
1 hour plus without a job, or with 1 crappy standard city-city. And the
ops loved me - I was first to all the good work, but the company was
struggling. If you are gonna work for someone small, make sure you get a
guaruntee or an hourly rate.
c) The money is highly variable. Im from perth, and i was in the top 2-3
money earners in the city, and i made around 190-200 bucks a day, but
that was from 730-515 as mentioned above, with heaps of experience
and "the knowledge". Dont know what the pay is like in melbourne, but
in my first year i was making 100 -120 bucks a day and it has just
increased over time. Believe me, you can live well if you know what
your doing.
Too true. In Melbourne you should be between 100-140 unless you are a
complete hubbard. It's perfectly possible to make 250-300 if the works
there, but that's only on the dream days. Because most companies don't
pay guarantees, they often put too many riders on soo you don't get
coin. There are some notable exceptions, where they know how good their
riders are, and let them make 200+.
5) Dont use a fixie in the city!!!!!. That is unless you want to make
life hard for yourself. Look at melbourne and make your decision on
your kind of bike. Me?, i ride in perth, land of the sun, ridiculous
wind and looonnggg distances on jobs, so i use a clean and ready
roady, steel of course. Melbourne, well, its wet, quite hilly with
tram tracks (have i missed anything?) so i would suggest a stripped
down mountain bike with a road cluster. Chop your bars if you intend
doing any tram splitting though.
And if you want to tow, the place to be is the back right corner of the
tram where the drama can't see you. Heh. I did it on a Roadie, and on
an MTB with super thin slicks. I preferred the roadie, except for
wheelie comps.
6) always lock your bike!
7) ALWAYS LOCK YOUR BIKE!!!!!!!!


ALWAYS LOCK YOUR BIKE!


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Roadie_scum wrote:
It's pretty hard to get casual/part time as a courier. Wizz employ a few
students, as do Cox (I think) and Couriers 3000 (about three years ago
when I last checked). Sweet job but!


Excellent...will have to chase them down and see if I can't con the
into giving me some work. Thanks muchly


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Roadie_scum wrote:
And if you want to tow, the place to be is the back right corner of the
tram where the drama can't see you. Heh. I did it on a Roadie, and on
an MTB with super thin slicks. I preferred the roadie, except for
wheelie comps.


The new trams (e.g. 109) don't have any nice hand holds on them like th
old models and the drivers now have monitors connected to video camera
pointed out the back..

hipp
- does not condone any behaviour at all, good or bad. Just sit down an
be quiet all of you! :


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hippy wrote:
The new trams (e.g. 109) don't have any nice hand holds on them like the
old models and the drivers now have monitors connected to video cameras
pointed out the back...
hippy
- does not condone any behaviour at all, good or bad. Just sit down and
be quiet all of you! :P


There's a 'handle' (i think its got something to do with cabling headin
North?) recessed about 3-4 feet off the back end on the left. So i'v
heard, you know, from some guy who heard from some guy he met... Neve
thawt of checking out the right side... Usually just a spur of the (o
****e, here comes a hill!) kinda thing. I prefer utes/1tonners meself
better visibilit


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"byron27" wrote in message


[...]

8) Be a deviant when the cops arent looking and a model citizen when
they are. Traffic lights are for cars, not bikes (oh oh, i might
have started something here!)

That's exactly the sort of antisocial behaviour that causes the rest of us
so much grief because we cop the backlash.

--

A: Top-posters.
Q: What is the most annoying thing on Usenet?

"Resound" wrote in message
...
This is something I've considered myself. I'm a student and I'm
certainly not looking for full time work, but a day or two a week would
be great. I'm in Melbourne. Any thoughts as to who I should get in
contact with? Which courier companies employ bikes?


My wife had an interview with SnapX a while ago. They seem to be a fairly
professional outfit (they give you GPS computer, uniform etc).
The only downside (and the reason she didn't take job) is that they only
offer full time 8-6 employment. No part time.

http://www.snapx.com.au

Cheers,
Craigster

"DRS" wrote in message ...
"byron27" wrote in message


[...]

8) Be a deviant when the cops arent looking and a model citizen when
they are. Traffic lights are for cars, not bikes (oh oh, i might
have started something here!)

That's exactly the sort of antisocial behaviour that causes the rest of us
so much grief because we cop the backlash.

Spot on. The fark knuckle courier is long gone when the ****ed off
motorist double parks in the bike line, with a big faark you on his
face, and why should I obey the rules when you cyclists ('cos to the
motorist, we're all the same) don't ?

In aus.bicycle on 19 May 2004 15:58:38 -0700
rickster wrote:

Spot on. The fark knuckle courier is long gone when the ****ed off
motorist double parks in the bike line, with a big faark you on his
face, and why should I obey the rules when you cyclists ('cos to the
motorist, we're all the same) don't ?

I think anyone who does that has already decided to do it. All the
lawbreaking cyclist is doing is providing another justification.

People don't break laws because they see other people breaking other
laws. They do it because they want to - because they decide their
convenience is worth more than a law that they don't like (because it is
inconvenient). They know it's wrong, so they have to find a way to make
it not wrong in their own heads. There are plenty of justifications
they can use besides law-breaking cyclists, but that's an easier one
than some others is all.

People don't think badly of cyclists because of seeing a lawbreaker.
Because there are plenty of cyclists who aren't lawbreakers, they just
aren't "seen". A cyclist who does something a car driver can't is not
upsetting the car driver cos the cyclist is breaking the law. They are
upsetting them cos the driver is stuck and the cyclist isn't.

People aren't rational and law abiding and disliking those who aren't.
People - car, pushbike, motorbike - will do what they think they can get
away with, and are annoyed by people who get away with more.

Face it.. if a cyclist could monster a car into the ditch, think that
not one cyclist would do it?

Zebee


--
Zebee Johnstone ), proud holder of
aus.motorcycles Poser Permit #1.
"Motorcycles are like peanuts... who can stop at just one?"