A motorcycle courier is a courier

Courier

A courier is a person or a company who delivers messages, packages, and mail. Couriers are distinguished from ordinary mail services by features such as speed, security, tracking, signature, specialization and individualization of express services, and swift delivery times, which are optional for...

 operating via a motorcycle

Motorcycle

A motorcycle is a single-track, two-wheeled motor vehicle. Motorcycles vary considerably depending on the task for which they are designed, such as long distance travel, navigating congested urban traffic, cruising, sport and racing, or off-road conditions.Motorcycles are one of the most...

 or motor scooter

Scooter (motorcycle)

A scooter is a motorcycle with step-through frame and a platform for the operator's feet. Elements of scooter design have been present in some of the earliest motorcycles, and motorcycles identifiable as scooters have been made from 1914 or earlier...

. 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 rider

Despatch rider

A despatch rider is a military messenger, mounted on horse or motorcycle.Despatch riders were used by armed forces to deliver urgent orders and messages between headquarters and military units...

s of the Royal Corps of Signals

Royal Corps of Signals

The Royal Corps of Signals is one of the combat support arms of the British Army...

 were demobilized

Demobilization

Demobilization is the process of standing down a nation's armed forces from combat-ready status. This may be as a result of victory in war, or because a crisis has been peacefully resolved and military force will not be necessary...

 and found employment difficult to come by. As a result, they purchased military surplus

Military surplus

Military surplus are goods, usually matériel, that are sold or otherwise disposed of when no longer needed by the military. Entrepreneurs often buy these goods and resell them at surplus stores. Military surplus rarely includes weapons or munitions, though they are occasionally found in such stores...

 motorcycles, and began couriering in central London

London

London is the capital city of :England and the :United Kingdom, the largest metropolitan area in the United Kingdom, and the largest urban zone in the European Union by most measures. Located on the River Thames, London has been a major settlement for two millennia, its history going back to its...

. 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

Addison Lee

Addison Lee is a London-based private hire company, currently the largest taxicab company in the United Kingdom.-John Griffin:Co-founder John Griffin was born in Ireland to a civil engineering contractor father...

 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.

See also

• Courier
  Courier
  A courier is a person or a company who delivers messages, packages, and mail. Couriers are distinguished from ordinary mail services by features such as speed, security, tracking, signature, specialization and individualization of express services, and swift delivery times, which are optional for...
  
  
• Bicycle courier
• Despatch rider
  Despatch rider
  A despatch rider is a military messenger, mounted on horse or motorcycle.Despatch riders were used by armed forces to deliver urgent orders and messages between headquarters and military units...