Cycling enthusiast initiates bike messenger service that can pick up stuff you forgot and deliver it to you at the office
India’s first biker-messenger service will be launched in the city on Monday. ‘Cyclercity’, a venture by Rajiv Singh will have anything delivered to you. This eco-friendly service, apart from functioning as a courier service, will also deliver a bouquet of flowers, forgotten cell phones, chocolates, car keys, forgotten files and pays your bills. It’s eco-friendly, fast, cheap and has a pick-up service that no other courier service has.
Speaking of the venture Bangalore-based Singh said, “The service is quite popular in the West, but this is the first of its kind in India. We are only a phone call away. Anybody who wants a service can call us or fill an online order form and we will direct our nearest bike messenger to the pick-up location. The package will be delivered on priority.”
Singh, a cycle enthusiast, said the idea came when he was stuck in a traffic jam. After his MBA, he had a seven-year stint in a corporate after which he came up with this idea. The office is situated at R T Nagar. As of now, the area around 10 km from MG Road will be covered. Based on the success of the initiative, Singh has plans of expanding it to other areas as well.
When asked about the manpower, Singh explained, “We have hired people from an NGO called Unnati that is located in K R Puram which has people from villages across Karnataka. They have been given training on how to cycle on busy roads and manage traffic.”
Managing time would not be much of a challenge, Singh said. “Cycling is actually the fastest mode of transport as far as reaching your destination is concerned. You can cycle amidst heavy traffic jams, through narrow roads and shortcuts and reach the destination in the shortest time. We have customised cycles to suit the needs of the particular employee and they have all been coloured green to look environment friendly.”
Right now, the firm has seven cycles and the service will be between 9 am and 9 pm. The service men have been given their own uniforms and would work every day apart from Sundays and public holidays.
Singh claims that the cost is also much lower than that of any courier service. It starts at Rs 25 to cover a distance up to 5 km for a package that weighs up to 100 gms. The price varies based on the distance and the weight of the package.
Service men will sit at retail shops, parks and bus stands in and around the area and would undertake any delivery given to them, Singh said.
source: http://www.bangaloremirror.com / Bangalore Mirror / Home> Bangalore> Others / by Vandana Kamath / Bangalore Mirror Bureau / December 02nd, 2013