London Dispatchers...
 

First off, id like to say hello to all! as its my first post.

Im currently in the process of doing my DAS and am considering working as a courier in London.

Was just wondering if there are any bikers out there in London whom are or have had experience dispatching?

Whats it like?
How dangerous is it?
Hows the pay?
Hours/Flexability?

Feel free to share. :D

Welcome to the site Bud...

Despatching in London :shock: Make sure the ol' life insurance is up to date ;)

Hi, thanks for the welcome.

Have you done any dispatching in London?

Nope, nor would I wish too... I'll stick to North Yorkshire thanks ;)

To be frank, a newbie doing courier work in London is a government statistic.....

You have to "learn" to ride in London, and there will be too much pressure on you to perform before you're ready.

I've ridden London almost every weekday for the last 4 years, and I wouldn't do it...

Sorry if that sounds harsh.

.

Re: London Dispatchers...
 

Hola :)

Right I'm a courier though I hasten to add not a proper one :lol: .

Not being a proper one can't help you much.

Cheers
Ben

Dispatching in London is a bit sketch.
I have had two mates who worked as couriers in London, and a load in Dublin. Both of the london lads had a fair few offs, both of them had one pretty serious off.

Emm. Yeah. London is dangerous enough mate. I think the money is alright though. Once you get into the swing of things, learning the streets etc. Dublin, predictabley enough I suppose, seems safer. Again though, mates of mine have had serious offs doing it. But, in fairness, that was after a good few years. One guy wrote off his Super Tenerie ;*( and his liver. Except, your liver grows back. So he was grand. Just had to stay off the drink for a while. :evil:

I am not saying dont do it. I wouldnt advise against it, just these are the lads I happened to know... so... there you go. They all loved it too. They would go off, and get other real jobs after a fright or whatever, and be back scumlording it again with the lads on the road in a month or two.


EDIT: Oh. Hold on. DAS? Does that mean he is a learner? Emm.. if you are just learning, (thats what DAS means?) no way man. The lads I knew were bikers since they were young, like 10, learning on farms rounding up sheep and ****. If you are not completely confident, then I would advise against it.

(And, I sort of define confident as does your bike feel really light to you, almost so you dont notice the wieght around bends, like you can just chuck it about, stand on the frount wheel when you need to, drive it with like your body, and not your arms...And, you should have had a few offs too. You have to have crashed a couple of times to sort of learn how to not get hurt as much. Then... give London a lash.)

i've ridden in london everyday weekday for the last 4 yrs, and you get the occassional nutter out of the blue... but most of it is pretty predictable, expect everyone to pull out on you.. taxi's to U turn, Buses to do everything and anything, and dispatch riders to try and ride through you.

i think riding around london wouldnt be too bad.. but i wouldnt do it on a motorbike, even if you have passed your DAS.. buy a scooter for the job, and its kind of point and go... nothing to think about apart from the other cars trying to kill you. 125cc... 65mph, 80+mpg.. turning circle of an ant on a uni cycle.

I reckon, you'd be upto speed, in terms of road safety in a couple of weeks, just cross your fingers for the first two weeks.

the hardest bit would be finding your way around london, expecially with the time pressure " must be delievered by 5pm"


k

I know london like the back of my hand, and have alot of road sense i like to beleive as i do alot of driving too. As for riding, I have nought all experience in London, but driving in london gives me a good enough idea of what to expect, its bad as it is while driving.

Is it also true that being a dispatcher is a self employed job?

Do you work when you want...etc?

Driving and riding in London are worlds apart.

In a car people tend not to pull into where you are as they see you whereas on a bike they see a "gap" they can fit into. Other traffic sees you better and tends not to pull out on you half as much as they do on a bike. Pedestrians see you a lot better to and tend not to walk out in front of you.

My mate who is a dispatch controller having done the job for many years basically reckoned this when I asked him about it.

1. Expect a very serious accident with time off every 6 months - a year at least.
2. If you like bikes and think it will be great to earn a living from your hobby, think again. By the weekend you won't want to face the bike having been on it for 8-10 hours every day during the week.
3. The pressures on you to rush everywhere will mean you will make mistakes or ride unsafely, which may result in no 1 happening. For example, I have witnessed a courier on a ped turn right in front of my bus forcing driver to slam brakes on. Courier had turned right into a no entry and nearly had a head on with a merc.

I would say if you are serious and you're prepared for hospital food regularly - I have seen 4 accidents in the past week all involved couriers so I am fairly sure my mate is spot on with the risks - I would go for distance work. Easier to chug up and down the motorway than in London imo.

No I haven't done it, but as said I have seen enough couriers and their bikes down and know how hard it is to ride safely in London to know its not an option for me unless I really have no other way of earning.