Heroes By Default - Linlee solms

If ever there is an under-appreciated industry, it is that of the Delivery Rider, especially in the COVID era. 

For many delivery Riders pre-Covid19 the job of riding a motorcycle to deliver items was a means-to-an-end; a way to make a living. However, servicing and maintenance on a motorcycle (any motorcycle) in S.A is not cheap. Due to a lack of funds and resources, many riders are riding bikes and scooters that are un-roadworthy and falling apart.

In 2019 the rumor mill was churning out stories claiming that delivery riders were earning as much as R15 000 to R20 000 per month. Having researched this, we discovered that the earning capacity of a delivery rider is between R7 500 and R12 000 per month, with the latter earning being obtained at maximum hours spent on the road delivering. Keep in mind that fuel, servicing, and maintenance still need to be paid from this income.

Riding a motorcycle is a lot of fun when you have the time to be carefree. However when you are riding under time constraints, in treacherous weather, on a motorcycle that is possibly un-roadworthy, with a deadline and pressure from knowing that your livelihood and family depends on you, riding stops being fun. It becomes a constant juggle between maintaining your bike (which is vital for your ability to work), avoiding injury or accidents, meeting expectations by employers, and trying to stay financially stable all at once. 

And then Covid-19 happened. For the past 18 months S.A., and the world, has been in a state of limbo - an uncertain period of awaiting a decision or resolution.

As such, the delivery rider’s job was escalated overnight, from that of a guy on a bike delivering fast food to that of a Hero of the COVID era - delivering groceries, medication, online purchases, car parts, supplies, and a continued list of things that we suddenly needed help with when the world changed. 

Our Heroes made sure that we were eating and that we could stay at home, to avoid infecting others. In many instances, our Heroes ensured that we were receiving life-saving medication and that we were able to continue working by delivering business supplies as we worked from our homes.

And they did all of this under the same treacherous conditions as before, only now, they became front-line workers - putting their own lives at risk in a whole new way! 

It is safe to say that just about every product-based business in S.A. now employs or contracts a delivery rider, or two or a hundred. I dare you to venture a guess as to how many delivery riders in S.A. have been through any formal training before risking their lives to become Heroes.

On a recent corporate training course, we discovered that only 7 out of 74 delivery riders had any formal training. Many Riders who are employed by corporations who use fleets of Riders for their businesses have also not been trained. It is a shocking state of affairs and must be addressed immediately.

“Do what you love, and you’ll never work a day in your life”

For the Heroes of S.A., the above statement of “do what you love” is not impossible. In fact, it can be achieved, quite simply, through training. Scully Scooters understands that training is not simply theoretical and practical motorcycle riding skills training but also additional skill sets such as Customer Service and Personal Financial Wellness. Road Safety, coupled with life skills teaches accountability and builds business acumen.

When a Hero discovers that he/she has enough income to work and live on a reasonable budget, they will never work a day in their life because they will love their job and will excel at it. In this way, they too can ride with a sense of enjoyment, just like those happy Motorcycle riders we spoke about at the beginning of this post. 

Being financially fit means that the Heroes can regularly service and maintain their Motorcycles, Scooters, and Tuk Tuks (SMT’s). This, in turn, means that they have the capacity to look after the machine, and in return, the machine will be able to look after them. Having the means to replace brake pads, discs, and tyres when necessary is a life-saver for any rider. If the rider is able to budget for these expenses in advance, it immediately removes stress and contributes to safer riding and safer roads. 

We cannot stress enough how important basic riding skills are, and the first analogy that comes to mind is that Rider Skills Training is as essential as a new set of tyres.

Learning how to Slow Ride, do cone weaves, go around a 20-meter circle to the left and the right (without putting a foot down), making safe U-turns and more, are all skills most riders on our roads are unable to perform when they begin their training with us.

For an aspiring delivery rider who is desperate to make a living, it is so easy to hop on a bike and ride. But the likelihood of what the delivery rider’s friend has taught him is simple: the clutch in, 1st gear, clutch out, accelerate. The friend was taught this, and he or she has a job,  the employers don’t seem concerned that that’s all they know, so it should be fine, right?

Unfortunately, the friend also has never had any formal training and has no idea about body position in a slow turn, or road positioning in traffic, or how to prevent the motorcycle from tipping over in a tight turn. 

It was quite an eye-opener to discover that many delivery riders ride big capacity motorcycles for fun (with years of riding experience) but still have great difficulty doing a tight U-turn on a 150cc delivery bike, let alone on a 1000cc superbike.

And this is why Basic Riding Skills courses are of vital importance to our Delivery Riders.

In addition, On-road Riding Skills are about safety, defensive riding, keeping yourself visible at all times by wearing high-visibility safety gear, positioning yourself correctly, and taking up space in your lane.

I won’t delve into too much detail except to say that these courses will take only 2 days of the delivery rider’s time but will save him a lifetime of regret - perhaps even his/her life. 

There is no better place to put your BBBEE Investment than with a Hero training course through Scully Scooters.