If you have a bike or scooter, and particularly if you live in an urban area, there may be unique opportunities to earn money with it. Most of the opportunities are related to delivery services.
Since we are still dealing with the coronavirus pandemic, many delivery services have become increasingly popular in 2020. People are getting everything delivered from food to medicine, and you can earn money taking advantage of this trend.
Of course, safety should always be a top concern, with more than 900 cyclists killed last year in the U.S.
With that being said, what are specific ways to earn money with your bike or scooter?
Postmates Fleet Biker
Postmates will let you deliver for them if you don’t have a car but do have a bike, as long as you’re in certain cities. You can deliver food from restaurants and other deliveries as well.
You’ll see a lot of volume if you work with Postmates Fleet, and they offer bonuses for people who deliver during peak hours. You can also keep all of your tips.
Postmates hire couriers who are over the age of 18, and you keep a portion of the delivery fee in addition to your tips.
Instacart
In suburban areas, most Instacart delivery people probably have a car. However, in bigger cities, you might be able to deliver for Instacart by bike. You can make up to $25 an hour, although that’s not guaranteed.
Most shoppers can maximize their earnings by shopping for two orders at the same time. Then, once they end their shift, they’ve doubled the average earnings that they would have made otherwise.
When you deliver groceries for Instacart, you can use an Instant Cashout once you’ve done five batches. Then, after that, you can cash out whenever you want.
If you’re a biker, you can work up to 29 hours a week.
Be a Bike Messenger
If you’re a bike messenger, you’ll probably need to live in a bigger city. For example, bike messengers are still around in New York City.
You won’t be able to ride any old bike, however. You’ll need a good quality bike, and you’ll probably spend quite a bit on upkeep and replacement parts, so keep that in mind.
It’s not a hugely in-demand position, but it does exist.
Get Paid to Commute
You won’t earn a living with this alone, but there is an interesting program that might pay you to commute on your bike. It’s part of the Bicycle Commuter Act, a tax-benefitted reimbursement covering the expenses of commuting by bike.
Under the program, an employer can give you up to $20 monthly if you commute by bike and then write it off as a business expense.
Run Errands
There’s a package delivery service called Roadie. Packages delivered through this service don’t have to be boxed up like they are if they’re sent by traditional means.
What this means is that if you wanted to deliver a book, as an example, you just give the rider or driver the book.
You can sign up for an account and then look for people who are creating a Gig. A Gig is a request for delivery.
The price of a Gig is pre-determined, so you’ll know ahead of time.
If there’s a Gig on the app, you can accept it or decline it.
You’ll find Gigs that typically pay anywhere from $8 to $50. There are long-distance gigs that pay much more, but you can’t do those on a bike.
Rent Your Bike on Splinster
Splinster is a service that lets you rent out your bike to make money. As a bike owner, you can be connected with people who want to rent or borrow a bike anywhere.
Owners list their bike, and then renters who are searching for a bike in that area connect with them.
There are different protection elements built into the service. For example, you can purchase damage and theft protection.
Renters have to verify who they are to use their Splinster account, and there are community reviews for renters and people who rent out bikes.
In addition to bike rentals, Splinster also offers options for surf and snow rentals.
These are just a few examples of ways you can make money with your bike. There are many others available as well. For example, you might deliver food for another service like Uber Eats, which is incredibly popular.
The post How to Earn Money with Your Bike (or Scooter) first appeared on Don Diva Magazine.