Bicycles are a alternative choice in industrialized countries, but can be the backbone transportation system for a developing economy. Rwanda is a great example of how the introduction of bicycles can improve productivity and quality of life.

Portand coffee house Stumptown sponsored the delivery of 400 cargo bikes to Karaba, a free-trade co-op located in the so-called "Land of a Thousand Hills." Until the arrival of these bikes, transportation of coffee beans down the slopes made for great Nat-Geo cover photos: women were carrying baskets on their heads. Adding bikes to the mix greatly increased the speed and efficiency of coffee bean deliveries, improving safety for the workers and opening-up new opportunities for the co-op.

For more info on the project, check-out Stumptown's Bikes to Rwanda website, and the Good Magazine article behind this video.

Posted in Labels: bike businesses, bikes around the world, cargobikes 0 comments Posted by Sherwood at 8:14 PM  

Plenty has been said (and alleged) about couriers darting around the world's cities. But controversy aside, courier delivery is the second biggest business on two wheels (behind bike shops) and is surviving thanks to the need for deliveries that can't be attached in an e-mail.

The Life

Travis Culley wrote about the ins, outs, ups, and downs of being a courier in his autobiography, The Immortal Class.

Start A Courier Service

To start your own, you may need a courier license from city hall, but aside from that you basically need a bike, a bag, a cell phone, and a bunch of admins in various companies who have your cell phone number and need those ASAP deliveries. There's a brief write-up at Entrepreneur Magazine.

But Only If You're Clever About It

The Economist takes a stark look at how courier companies are having to specialize to survive:

The legal system still relies on original documents, so some messengers cater to lawyers by offering benefits such as serving subpoenas and filing papers in court. “They are almost paralegals on bikes,” says Mr Götte. Others focus on deliveries that cannot be made electronically—architects' blueprints, for example, or take-out meals.

And Get Some VC Money (wait - it's not 1999)

Kozmo was a New York City dot-com start-up that managed to raise $250 million in venture capital to provide free door-to-door deliveries for basically anything you needed - even a pack of gum. The company sank quickly (hint: "free delivery") but there is some merit to the basic business model, especially in big cities where dense traffic and short distances conspire to make bicycle deliveries feasible and profitable.

(photo by timmycorkery)

Posted in Labels: bike businesses, messengers 0 comments Posted by Sherwood at 8:00 AM