Bike courier experience in Vancouver

I was hired last January as a bike courier in Vancouver, British Colombia and want to share this experience with some pictures. I used to work 4 to 6 days a weed as a courier part time with another job on the side.
This is what I learned from it.

Bike courier is a tough job especially in Vancouver during the winter as it rains everyday. Thankfully the team was friendly and I was employed in contrary to most couriers who are contractors. I was sure to be paid all my time and completed that with tips which are quite generous in Vancouver.

I first chose this job for a new experience and to work outside instead of sitting in an office. Moreover, I did more than 80 kilometers per day with the commute which is a great training.
The bad side of this job is vulnerability to the weather. In Vancouver it rains most days during the winter and lucky as I was it also snowed a few times and got also icy, which is pretty unusual in the city.
Some days were really hard especially mentally with the rain but I also got really cold sometimes at a point I had to stop working one day (I was soaked and it was snowing).
Traffic is also an important aspect of the job. So many of my colleagues or people they knew got accidents while working as you are really vulnerable on a bike. I also got my own accident which was really scary but didn't result in any damages.

As summer approached, sunny days were more usual and the job transformed in a dream job. Cycling in parks with blowing flowers and seeing that many cherry blossoms booming was really nice especially in mild sunny days.

As a result I found the following advantages of a bike courier job and inconvenient:

Advantages:

• Being paid for cycling
• Good tips
• Staying healthy
• Working outside

Inconvenient:

• No employment security (if you are a contractor)
• Dangerous with car traffic
• Vulnerability from the weather
• Having to get your own bike

And these are some pictures I made during work (originally for promotion purpose but weren't published)

Palm trees in English Bay

My winter bike before going to work

Inukshuk statue in English Bay

Another sculpture in English Bay

I hope you enjoyed this post and feel free to comment if you have any similar experiences or questions.