Get Fit Outdoors

In Lisbon

1- The electric bicycle is a means of transport mostly for workers from Nepal and Bangladesh.

2- Couriers bike about 50 to 60 km per day.

3- They work 8 to 10 hours every day of the week.

4- In Lisbon they are found working centrally: Saldanha, Olivais, Alameda, Graça and Alcântara neighbourhoods.

5- To buy an electric bike with a 3-4 hour battery life costs around 1000 Euros (not counting the cost of clothing, helmet, boots, delivery bag, etc.)

6- Bikers earn a gross minimum of 20€ to 50€ maximum per day. Not counting expenses and deductions.

7- Workers raising a family do not earn enough to live off this sole source of income.

8- Delivery couriers do not use motorised vehicles, because besides the cost of fuel, and not fulfilling the legal requirements to drive, a motorbike costs around 50 to 60€ a week to rent.

9- Delivery couriers from Nepal and Bangladesh on motorbikes earn more because their work area is greater, but there are certain locations where Asian couriers do not work as they are driven out by colleagues from other nationalities (this situation has been verified in a specific location in the city of Lisbon).

10- A significant number of Asian couriers working in Lisbon are college graduates, and came to Portugal much like a local Portuguese would go to Germany, simply to be able to be in another country.

11- Being in good shape and eating well are essential to the life of a bike courier. This isn't always the case.

12- A bike courier is at the risk of having an accident many times a week, due to the pressure of delivering on time, adverse weather conditions, other people's driving, for not using a reflective vest or lights at night, and so on. There are serious cases such as the young man from Nepal, who rode into a wall in Alcântara, was in a coma for 17 days and eventually died.