Center City Thrill Ride
By Nicole Brewer
PHILADELPHIA (CBS) - Despite our age of electronic transmissions bike couriers are still in business.
It looks like a thrill ride to most people.
But to bike messengers it's just another day at work.
When some things just can't go down the information highway, there's always bike messengers.
With CBS 3 cameras mounted on bike handlebars, we asked riders Matt Savioa and Matthew 'Magic' McCaffery of One Hour Messengers to give us a bikes-eye view of their work day.
Fearless in traffic, these two road warriors deliver everything from legal briefs to medical packages.
"The first time I did a blood sample I almost fainted," said McCaffery. "I wasn't expecting them to hand me a bag of blood."
"I had a client ask me to take a small safe from their office and put it in a dumpster that wasn't downtown," said Savoia.
Just like drivers, bike messengers are bound by the rules of the road
And they're on constant guard.
They're especially on the lookout for pedestrians.
"The worst ones are the ones that see you coming and they freeze right ahead of you," says Savoia. "And getting 'doored' is when somebody opens their door right in front of you or into you and takes you down."
Through Old City and Center City bike messengers ride through tight squeezes and heart-stopping turns.
Their feet touch the ground just long enough to make that delivery.
The average bike messenger rides 20 to 25 miles each day and despite all the electronic transmissions like e-mail, riders can make up to $600 a week.
Rain or shine, extreme heat or cold, Savoia and McCaffery wouldn't trade their jobs for a job at a climate-controlled desk.
"I visit offices all the time and those people don't seem too happy," observed McCaffery.
"I love it, this is what we do," said Savoia.
