Pedala is a Pinoy Tree Hugger’s Dream Courier

Pedala Bike Messengers is a bicycle courier service in Manila founded and born out of the gas crisis in 2008. Founder Candy Reyes-Alipio started cycling more during that time to save money and beat the traffic – she then saw it as a way to reduce the carbon footprint of companies.

One of main problems in Manila is traffic due to road congestion and the daily commute – that’s why there are local startups aiming to solve these issues, like Commute.ph, Ridefind and MRTtrackr. There are other startups in the Philippines also working to make commute bearable and more fun in the metro.

Although not a tech startup, it’s worth noting how Pedala offers a solution to decongest Manila roads. This service will be even better if they could take orders through a mobile app or a website to make it more accessible to others who are looking to use the service. As of now, it operates only via a mobile hotline (0917–80-PEDAL) and via email.

Currently they have a pool of 150 bike messengers, with rates that start from PHP 100 (US$ 3) for a one-way trip, PHP 200 (US$ 5) for a round-trip, and I would say it’s affordable. They’re currently serving the cities of Makati, Madaluyong, Pasig, San Juan, Marikina, Manila, Taguig, and QC.

So why should you avail of their service rather than the local delivery companies such as Xend, 2GO, or Air21? The main advantage of Pedala is that it can do same day delivery, which is not available through other couriers. Also if you’re into saving the environment this is a way to do it.

When asked of their long term goals, Pedala founder Candy said, “We would like to help change attitudes towards bikes/bikers and work towards a greener city and more inclusive mobility – with bike lanes, bike parking, green spaces, pedestrian lanes, etc – and get more bikes and bikers out there!”