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Being streetwise in the saddle
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| Budapest Sun, December 15, 2005 By Susanne Zolcer Imagine riding a bike during the harsh winter months in Budapest, when it's hard to even step out of your house because of icy streets, temperatures far below zero and the coldest wind blowing in your face. However, Attila Szûcs's job as a bicycle courier is to do just that every day, no matter what the weather outside. Szûcs calls the dispatcher office at Hajtás Pajtás every day at 10am and waits for the first delivery address after getting "suitably" dressed. "Every courier is well equipped with all kinds of ballet pants and tight, embarrassing jump-suits," Szûcs explained. As the 27-year old courier knows the city like the back of his hand, he says he can deliver every letter within the required 90 minute time frame. And although Budapest is not the most bicycle friendly city in Europe, Szûcs claims, "There is no need for cycle lanes, the best way to get about is by keeping up with the traffic, the busier it is, the easier it is for us to get used to the rhythm," he said. Boring work? Not with his on-bike entertainment system - a UHR radio tuned in to his colleagues messing around, and even conference calls. "Once a nurse at a hospital was so happy to see me that instead of saying hello she said, 'Finally, the s**t has arrived,'" Szûcs said, explaining, "I thought, what a great achievement in life... to transport feces." However, he says it is compensated for by the fact that "Basically I am free to do whatever I want, and more work can be done if there is no boss around to control you all the time." His pay, he says, depends on how much he can deliver a day, and usually varies between Ft80,000 and Ft150,000 per month. "Someone who can make Ft80,000 only must be pretty lazy, I think." After the busy morning hours Szûcs has some time to relax and either meets other bicycle couriers at an intersection or goes to his regular café, Melegedô (Warm Up), established for couriers only. But when there is too much to do, such as in the run-up to Christmas, he grabs a small sandwich or chocolate on his way by. Despite it being a "very exhausting job," where an average courier cycles around 100 kilometers up and down hills each day with a backpack "filled with as much as fits in," Szûcs says car drivers have become more careful and respectful towards cyclers. "The most important thing is endurance and as long as we can rely on the confidence principle, there won't be any serious accidents." Couriers, he says, are not only colleagues, but also friends who usually "hang out" whenever they can. "It is a very tough punk or rockstar job, with its own culture, music, a Website and programs exclusively organized for us," Szûcs explained. "Sometimes we go on drinking trips together or organize contests in the city." The best cyclist can then try his luck in European and International Championships. However, that is not Szûcs's main goal in life, although he likes life in the saddle - so much so that even in his spare time he refuses to drive a car or use public transportation. He currently lives with his mother to save money and spends most of his time after the eight-hour shifts studying for his high school degree. After passing exams he hopes to spend his mornings cycling to university. |
