WHO ARE BICYCLE MESSENGERS?

Bicycle messengers are an integral part of a City’s business economy. Traversing the City without the encumbrances experienced by motor vehicles, bicycle messengers deliver time sensitive packages in a fraction of the time and cost that a traditional delivery service could provide. Law firms, advertising agencies, real estate managers, government agencies, entertainment and news providers along with countless other businesses both large and small, all rely on the bicycle messenger industry.

The tradeoff for this level of efficiency is a workplace environment with above average risk and below average wages. Heavy traffic, both vehicular and pedestrian, ensures that messengers will eventually be put in harm’s way. Lost time accidents are an everyday occurrence. Most messengers are not covered by health insurance. The compensation, wages earned, in most cases does not allow for purchasing that “luxury” and messenger companies are not inclined to provide it. Since bicycle messengers are paid on a commission basis, downtime is also non-wage earning time. Couple this with the severity of most injuries and you have a situation that has a messenger unable to provide the basic necessities for themselves. Enter the messenger community, the NYBMF and other Bicycle Messenger Associations.

NYBMF MISSION STATEMENT

The New York Bicycle Messenger Foundation was established in 2003 as a federal and state not for profit 501(c)(3) corporation. Its mission is to provide aid and financial assistance to bicycle messengers who are injured on our City streets. This aid may be in the form of either funding for health care and rehabilitation for the injured party or direct financial assistance to those in need of these funds while they recover from their injuries. The NYBMF also provides capital funding for programs that directly involve the messenger community. Along with these primary purposes, the NYBMF strives to unify the bicycle courier community, helping achieve our charitable goals.