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Bicycles ease couriers' job
It was a bicycle that made Tommy's days brighter than they had been for the past two weeks
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It was a bicycle that made Tommy's days brighter than they had been for the past two weeks.
The 34-year-old courier, who transports goods through highly congested areas of West Jakarta -- such as Pasar Pagi, Pintu Kecil and Perniagaan -- says carrying documents and packages is faster and easier than before.
"There are a lot of narrow lanes in those areas that are inaccessible for cars. So, it's faster and easier to reach places by bike," said Tommy, a courier at air express and logistics company PT Birotika Semesta/DHL Express.
In the past, Tommy began his day by driving a delivery van from the company's Slipi service center in West Jakarta, parking it near his destination before continuing on foot or taking an ojek.
"It wasn't practical and took a lot of time," he said.
His daily routine has changed a bit since receiving the bicycle.
He still parks the delivery van in a parking lot, but now takes out a portable, collapsible bike, straps on his safety helmet, face mask and elbow and kneepads, then rides to his customer's office.
His bicycle, called the "DHL GoGreen Push Bike", was provided by DHL as part of its green campaign, with one collapsible bike per courier.
The new service is meant to reduce vehicle emissions.
"Our industry has contributed 14 percent of total global carbon emissions. So, we're aware that reducing air pollution is an essential part of our corporate social responsibility," said DHL national marketing manager Edi Prayitno.
The service has been provided for two routes in highly congested areas of West Jakarta, he added.
"One route -- serving Pasar Pagi, Pintu Kecil and Perniagaan -- takes approximately two hours to go seven or eight kilometers, while the other one serving Glodok, Pinangsia and Pangeran Jayakarta takes about two hours to go four kilometers."
"These two routes consume more than 6,000 liters of gas a year, along with 23.64 tons of carbon. Carbon emissions could decrease to 14.18 tons with the new service," he said, adding productivity has also improved.
Thus far, the program is limited to the transportation of documents and small packages.
"It's hard to carry big packages on a bike. We'll try to find a way for our couriers to carry bigger loads. We'll also look into the possibility of broadening the service to other parts of the city," Edi said.
Despite its importance, couriers such as Tommy find the program brings its own challenges, including avoiding aggressive motorcycles riders on the road.
"It's also difficult to find tire repair kiosks for bikes. There are kiosks that serve cars, but they tend to be hesitant about repairing bikes. I don't know why," he said.
Tire repairs are not a major problem, he added.
"It's nothing compared with how much time I can save. I also feel healthier riding a bike. It's good exercise."
