Motorcycle courier

Motorcycle courier
A popular type of courier motorbike in London, UK. Honda CB500
A small courier motorbike used to transport medical supplies.
Another Honda courier motorbike again in London, UK.

A motorcycle courier is a courier operating via a motorcycle or motor scooter. Motorcycle couriers are common in major urban centres, primarily in Europe, South America (especially Brazil) and Asia, but increasingly in North America.

History

At the end of the First World War in 1918, many British Army motorcycle despatch riders of the Royal Corps of Signals were demobilized and found employment difficult to come by. As a result, they purchased military surplus motorcycles, and began couriering in central London. Traffic at that time moved at about 8 miles per hour.

Radio controlled couriers came about during the 1971 Royal Mail dispute (strike) when motorcycles were fitted with radios similar to those that equipped mini-cabs. London businesses were pleased with the results and the courier industry took off. Pioneers included Mercury Despatch, Addison Lee and City of London Courier Company. The advent of the facsimile machine in the 1980s, and electronic mail in the 1990s saw a significant decrease in the volume of work for London's motorcycle couriers.

Honda ST1300 Pan European from the UK used by emergency courier Freewheelers EVS to carry blood

See also



Wikimedia Foundation. 2010.

Игры ⚽ Нужно решить контрольную?

Look at other dictionaries:

  • courier — cou‧ri‧er [ˈkʊriə ǁ ər] noun [countable] 1. JOBS TRANSPORT a person or company whose job is to collect packages, documents etc and deliver them somewhere: • a motorcycle courier • Harrods had sent the garment by courier. 2 …   Financial and business terms

  • Courier — For the popular monospace typeface, see Courier (typeface). For other uses, see Courier (disambiguation). A courier is a person or a company who delivers messages, packages, and mail. Couriers are distinguished from ordinary mail services by… …   Wikipedia

  • courier — noun ADJECTIVE ▪ drug ▪ motorbike (BrE), motorcycle ▪ bicycle, bike (informal), cycle (esp. BrE) VERB + COURIER …   Collocations dictionary

  • courier — [[t]k ʊriə(r)[/t]] couriers 1) N COUNT A courier is a person who is paid to take letters and parcels direct from one place to another. He worked as a motorcycle courier... The cheques were delivered to the bank by a private courier firm. 2) N… …   English dictionary

  • Motorcycle club — For outlaw or one percenter motorcycling groups, see Outlaw motorcycle club. A motorcycle club is a group of individuals whose primary interest and activities involve motorcycles. In the U.S. the abbreviation, MC or MCC, can have a special social …   Wikipedia

  • courier bag — A flat rectangular shaped bag with a long strap. They are slung over the head and one shoulder. Called a courier bag because they were originally made for motorcycle and bicycle couriers …   Dictionary of automotive terms

  • I Bought a Vampire Motorcycle — Infobox Film name = I Bought a Vampire Motorcycle caption = director = Dirk Campbell producer = Jim Allan Mycal Miller John Wolskel writer = Mycal Miller John Wolskel starring = Neil Morrissey Amanda Noar Michael Elphick Anthony Daniels Andrew… …   Wikipedia

  • White Dalton Motorcycle Solicitors — is a UK firm of Solicitors based in Bedfordshire that specialise in handling Personal Injury claims involving motorbike accidents. The firm is widely regarded as the leader in this field of law [http://business.timesonline.co.uk/tol/business/colum… …   Wikipedia

  • Dungannon and District Motorcycle Club — The Dungannon and District Motorcycle Club was formed in 1922, in Dungannon, County Tyrone, Northern Ireland, and held a number of “bike runs”, an athletic sports day and supported their local racers in its year of inception. In the club’s second …   Wikipedia

  • Mark Young (motorcycle racer) — Mark Young (1987, Cookstown, County Tyrone, Northern Ireland 17 May 2009) was a Northern Irish motor cycle racer competing in the 2009 North West 200 Races on 16th May 2009 crashed at Mather s Cross section during the opening 250cc race.[1] After …   Wikipedia

Share the article and excerpts

Direct link
Do a right-click on the link above
and select “Copy Link”