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Zipping through Prague on two wheels

Bike messengers are on the rise, on task and out on the streets

By Curtis M. Wong
Staff Writer, The Prague Post
October 3rd, 2007 issue

Jan Přerovský/THE PRAGUE POST
Bike messengers are a special breed: Their job involves long hours, near-constant physical exertion and the freedom of traversing the city.
Jan Přerovský/THE PRAGUE POST
Barbora Cornelio says EPS is more personalized than the post.
EPS – Express Parcel System, spol. s.r.o.

Přístavní 5
Prague 7
Tel.: 222 181 230
Web: www.epskuryr.cz

Often portrayed as romantic heroes as well as innocuous libertines, bicycle messengers may just be the ultimate symbols of urban living. These two-wheeled couriers have obtained near-iconic cultural status in recent years.
Although the reality of the bicycle-messenger profession may be decidedly less glamorous, many couriers will tell you it’s just as exciting as the media portrays. While it’s not surprising to learn that the profession can be extremely demanding, many messengers say they enjoy the sense of freedom the job allows as well as the physical exercise.
Just ask 30-year-old Hana Červenková, who’s been a courier at Express Parcel System (EPS) in Prague 7 for nearly one year. She became fascinated by the world of bicycle messengers during childhood visits to Prague, when she’d see messengers whizzing by on Na Příkopě street. Since then, Červenková has been determined to avoid the daily grind of the 9-to-5 corporate world.
“I think being a bike messenger is a certain way of exhibiting yourself to the world,” she says. “Riding around on a bike all day, you start to feel as if the world is here for you. You experience a total sensation of freedom, even if that feeling can be a bit of a fantasy.”
Červenková is not alone. She works as a member of EPS’s bicycle messenger team, which currently consists of three women and between two to four men, depending on the time of year. They start each day at 8 a.m., delivering parcels and letters throughout the center of Prague, and average between eight and 10 hours of work.
“The work of a bicycle messenger depends a lot on the individual person, their perception of the job as well as their personal enthusiasm,” says Barbora Cornelio, managing director of EPS. “In a way, a person who pursues this line of work has to be extraordinary. For them, it’s adventurous and fun. They can’t be the type of person who would be suited for office work.”
Established in April 1992, EPS offers a full range of delivery services to its clients, employing more than 40 couriers, including car and motorcycle drivers, in total. Many customers opt to send their parcels this way because it’s much more client-friendly and personalized compared to the standard postal service. Many companies like to be able to supervise and track their deliveries online, Cornelio says.
“When we started, it was really a new type of service here in the Czech Republic,” she says. “The post office can work well under normal circumstances, but if there are special services required, they can’t be as flexible. We’ve always focused on communicating regularly with our customers.”   
Unlike EPS’s car and motorcycle couriers who deliver throughout the Czech Republic, bicycle messengers are limited to working within Prague’s city center. However, they obtain the most attention because of their visibility throughout the city.
While it’s still generally a male-dominated profession, the number of female couriers has definitely increased in recent years. Currently, EPS employs the most women of all Prague-based parcel companies, according to Cornelio.
“Women didn’t even really apply for these positions until recently,” she says. “So maybe a few years ago, we’d have been skeptical. But this new generation of women seems to feel differently about it.”   
Both Červenková and Cornelio agree that most couriers view the job as a fun pastime as well as a profession.
“It can be hard work,” Cornelio says. “Our couriers get dirty, smelly and very tired. But our core group of messengers has been working with us for years. Every day there are different problems and situations. It’s very rare that they would be bored.”
Červenková adds: “Of course, it’s probably not as romantic as people might think. When you’re on your bike all day, you have to have perseverance. But I can’t imagine being stationary all day. I’ve never once felt any disillusionment.”
— Naďa Černá contributed to this report.

Curtis M. Wong can be reached at cwong@praguepost.com


Other articles in Transport (3/10/2007):

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