/ 23 September 2014

Dashing couriers dare to deliver

Former national police commissioner Bheki Cele lent a sympathetic ear to Layton 'Sean' Tshabalala
Former national police commissioner Bheki Cele lent a sympathetic ear to Layton 'Sean' Tshabalala

Whipping through the congested streets of Sandton all day on his ­bicycle, cyclist and fitness fanatic Calvin Mono may have found the closest thing to a dream job at Dash Couriers – the first bicycle courier service in Johannesburg.

Working at Dash affords Mono, who was recruited through a cycling academy in Soweto, and others to train themselves while making some money too. He has had many varied jobs before, but says: “I’ve got love for cycling I couldn’t compare this with any other job.”

The courier service, officially launched in July this year, employs four full-time cyclists and boasts a cheaper, faster and greener offering that is able to overcome one of the biggest problems in Sandton and surrounding office nodes – the traffic.

The promise, according to founder David Shmukler, is simple. “If it takes longer than three hours to deliver, it’s free.”

That is, your package will be collected and dropped off within three hours of the moment you first pick up the phone.

The couriers operate in a 7km radius of Sandton, which is said to be the richest square mile in Africa. “Virtually every single major business in Southern Africa is here.” says Shmukler.

But rapid development in the area has seen the road infrastructure un-able to keep up as over 100?000 people come in and out of Sandton each working day.

Elaine Jack, the city improvement district manager for the Sandton central management, said traffic in Sandton remains a problem but a transport study for the area is nearing completion and plans to widen roads and introduce cycling lanes are in the works.

Other initiatives include encouraging the use of public transport and park and ride facilities.

Meanwhile Dash bikers are poised to benefit precisely from the difficulty of movement in the area.

“In Sandton itself, collection and delivery can be done within 90 minutes,” Shmukler says. “And for a rush job at 4pm in the afternoon, Dash bikers are likely to be the only way of getting a package anywhere in Sandton and surrounding areas before the close of business.” he says.

The cost is an all-inclusive R175 a drop, regardless of whether it is a letter or a box weighing 15kg or anything in between. A rush job, however, will cost double.

The couriers are paid for each job they complete. Dash provides the bikes – eight-speed mountain bikes, with 26-inch wheels and semi-slick tyres – and smart phones so that jobs that arise can immediately be sent directly to each courier.

“Safety is a very real issue but these guys are very experienced riders,” says Shmukler, adding that each employee is well covered with a life insurance policy paid for by Dash. Although risk is implicit, the couriers say they are cautious and use pavements or off-road routes wherever possible.