Continue to Site

anyone ever use a DELIVERY SCOOTER?

P

pizzahead

New member
has anyone ever used, or are you using a scooter for delivery…I’m right next to a small college (5k) with the dorms and several apt complexes near by, and was contiplating the idea. We often get dishwasher/drivers with no, or no decent vehicle, or they don’t want to use their car.

I also thought it would be a great marketing piece…put the big box on the back with our logo, and stick a helmet/w logo on the guy…what do you think???

thanks
 
Last edited:
I think that all of a sudden, your dishwashers/drivers will love to use THEIR cars for delivery!
 
Last edited:
I worked for Dominos near a university and they thought about using mopeds, but the university would not allow them on the sidewalks. So it would not have saved much time. There is now a Papa John;s right off campus next to the housing. If I were them I would consider bikes rather than trying to find a place to park.

We thought about using alternative vehicles in our residential area, but since so many order delivery when the weather in inclement, I suspect it might not be practical. Also, there are folks riding golf carts on the streets here since there is a large course in the center of one of the neighborhoods. But I am not sure it would be legal for business purposes.

In your situation, see what you can do. I think it is a terrific way to get a mention in the paper as being environmentally friendly. Get the helmet wrapped with your logo. Heck, maybe even put a flashing light on their helmet. Probably have to up the delivery fee to the driver if you do that, though.
 
Last edited:
I did extensive research on this about a year ago for my own pizzeria. I found that it is virtually impossible to find any kind of insurance coverage. In the United States, Commercial Motorcycle insurance just does not exist due to the added danger of wrecking a two wheeled vehicle vs. a 4 wheel car. If you do find anything please let me know. I made a lot of contacts throughout the insurance industry and could not find anyone to cover delivery scooters. Not sure how they get away with it in larger cities which would be something to look into.
 
Last edited:
i don’t, but i have seen it done. virtually all of the dominos, pizza huts, etc. in the carribean use them. i also think i saw some in manhattan last time i was there. they were just as u described, with large boxes with the logo on the back. as far as the insurance goes, i have no idea if they were insured, but have your agent do some digging, there has to be a way to get it done.
 
Last edited:
do scooters fall under “motorcycle” insurance? here in IL, it’s not considered a motorcycle until it’s above either 50 or 200cc (can’t fully remember). So you don’t need a motorcycle lic. and i’m pretty sure they just cover it under your car insurance.
 
Last edited:
99% of pizza delivery in Japan and Hong Kong is done on delivery scooters. The vast majority of those are 50cc bikes. Some are 125cc though. In Japan, for example, the 50cc is covered under your normal driver’s license, and the liability insurance is $80 a year commercial or not. Comprehensive runs about $100 a month. The Honda Super Cub gets over 200 miles to the gallon, so gas prices are minimal.

Operationally, they aren’t bad at all in the rain. Of course it sucks to get wet, but that can be avoided by buying a rain suit (plastic top and bottom type of thing). They also make scooters with hoods.

http://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/7/7f/Honda_Canopy_AnnaMillers_Tokyo_2004-02-29.jpg

The bike above has a pre-made box from Honda on the back, but there is a huge range of frp boxes in just about any shape or size you could imagine.
 
Last edited:
We have one of the TGB scooters Charles posted above. The 150cc version that requires a motorcycle license (or permit at least). It goes about 65mph.

It’s great for single deliveries where the driver knows exactly where he is going.

There are a number of issues though:
  1. The box only holds about 5 16" pizzas. Taking doubles is out of the question if the orders are of any size.
  2. In the summer time, the inside of the black box is like an oven. Not very good for holding salads or drinks.
  3. Minor bumps in the road cause a lot of bounce - rough roads forget it - everything shakes around much more than in a car. I always wonder if that last bump bounced the pizzas into the top of the box.
  4. Drivers have to remember where they are going specifically - no where to “post” a ticket with the address.
  5. Drivers using the scooter will still need to have their own cars in case the order(s) to be taken won’t work in the scooter.
  6. The scooter is fun to drive at first, then, at least for me, it becomes too stressful.
Overall, it seems like a great idea at first - but in practice, IMO, it’s a pain.
 
Last edited:
I run scooters from both of my units. There are (8as everything in life) +'s and -'s.

Here are some from my persepctive:

+'s
  • great around a busy town
  • easy to park
  • easy to get through busy stop/start traffic
  • opens up your employment to people who do not have a car
  • much cheaper to run and maintain than the cost of paying car delivery to drivers
-'s
  • I can get around 6 large pizza’s in my boxes + some sides/drinks - so no good for a 20 pie order
  • your driver needs to know where he is going (but any good driver should anyhow - gps is just makes it way too easy!)
  • attracts young drivers - so need to be careful with recruitment
  • no good in snow or very wet weather
Overall in some ways they are better than cars and in other ways much worse. My approach is to use both cars an scooters and in that way I can gain the benefit of both and limit the downside as well.
 
Last edited:
Wizzzle…if you dont mind me asking…what kind of carry box do you use and how do you mount it? I have seen some nice size large square boxes in pictures on the internet (mainly oversees) pizza hut, etc. they are large and look great…do you know where to get them?

thanks
Pizzahead
 
Last edited:
I would like to know who you guys get your nonowner vehicle insurance through that will cover you for scooters. I would really like to add scooters but have been unable to find anyone to cover scooters.
 
Last edited:
I don’t know if they will cover scooters, but my first stop would be Mike O’Donnell at Concklin Insurance in Illinois. If you can’t find their contact info or need more contact companies that offer the hired non owned for the pizza industry, PM me and when I’m home from vacation I can get you more info. No promises that any will cover scooters, but it’s a start.
 
Last edited:
48.png
pizzahead:
Wizzzle…if you dont mind me asking…what kind of carry box do you use and how do you mount it? I have seen some nice size large square boxes in pictures on the internet (mainly oversees) pizza hut, etc. they are large and look great…do you know where to get them?

thanks
Pizzahead
Click to expand...
Hi

The boxes we use are lightweight - best i can describe is like a corrugated plastic. Basically it is there just to hold the pizza bag and keep it dry.

They are sturdy but not to the degree in the picture above - the reason being is that they are lightweight so not to cause a weight distribution problem to the bike.

From looking at the picture above that looks to be a reasonable amount of weight in one of those boxes. Not sure why you’d need it to have a heater element in it as a) it will drain the battery very quickly and b) if your pizza’s in a hot bag why have another heater?).

I’ll see if I can find some details on suppliers etc and post or PM to you if I can find any info.
 
Last edited:
I can’t answer your question specifically, but I can say that scooters are the number one pizza delivery vehicle outside of the United States. Driver wears a brightly colored logo jacket, logo helmet, logo on the hot box. These guys seem to get around the congested areas much better than they can with a car, so the deliveries are probably faster with the scooter, and parking shouldn’t be a problem either. Get the scooters painted to your store colors too, and apply a few logos to the scooter as well. Remember, you want the scooters to be seen for both safety and advertising. Now, go talk to your insurance man, that might be a bummer, and remember, your drivers will probably need to have a MC or M or CM classification on their drivers license to allow them to operate the scooter.
Tom Lehmann/The Dough Doctor
 
Last edited:
The other hurdle will be cultural. I asked our key employee, all of 23 years old, what he thought of it. He thought I must be joking. Apparently, trying to get someone of his age to ride a scooter directly affects their manhood. 😃

Heck, I was going to mount a flashing light on the helmet, too. :lol:
 
Last edited:
Hey man, I’ll ride a scooter any day that it isn’t raining, snowing, or under 40F. They’re a pretty cool way to get around. They make driving a car look something like piloting the Q.E. 2. Tell him that I feel sorry for him, he’s missing out on a real blast.
My personal guess is that he feels the very same way about delivering pizzas in his car, its just that he can hide in his car, and not be seen or as easily recognized as he will be out there on the scooter. Tell him to get over his vanity and have fun delivering those pizzas.
Tom Lehmann/The Dough Doctor
 
Last edited:
Oh, no. This guy is a pizza delivery driver extraordinaire. One of the main reasons we are bringing him on… in addition to being hard-working and honest.

But no one around here rides a scooter. Which is pretty amazing considering NOTHING in Texas is a short drive. Hell, I would drive one but I think my weight may preclude that.
 
Last edited:
i have that same exact scooter in the picture that was posted…started out using it alot when we first started delivery for all short runs in nice weather and quickly realized that it was more of a novelty than anything. I could not find insurance therefore I was not comfortable having any employees use. It is now parked in the front with our logo wrapped on it and is used by myself for errands mostly and to get some fresh air in the afternoon.

better off to invest the money in a wrap for a vehicle
 
Last edited:
You must log in or register to reply here.
Back
Top