VLRider-owned cargo-bike couriers
Booked by noon. Carried by bike. Delivered today.
Vectorlane moves envelopes, boxes and trike-sized loads between the eight zones of the city, on cargo bikes ridden by the people who own the co-op. One rider, one route, one text at every stage.
- Dispatch desk
- Mon–Fri 7:30 am–6:30 pm, Sat 9 am–2 pm
- Cross-river cutoff
- Noon
- Same-bank cutoff
- 4 pm
- Call dispatch
- 555-0107
01What we carry
Three sizes.
All by bike.
The price of a run is its band on the rate card plus a flat amount for size. Nothing is weighed twice and nothing is charged by the pound.
-
Envelope
Up to 5 lb · flat or folded · rides in a messenger bag
Signed contracts, a spare set of keys, a prescription from the counter, the final proofs for the printer.
+$0 on any band
-
Box
Up to 45 lb · 24 × 16 × 16 in · longtail or front-loader
Bakery trays with lids, a table lamp, three cases of printed menus, a sewing machine going in for repair.
+$4 on any band
-
Cargo trike
Up to 250 lb · 40 × 32 × 32 in · lockable box
A café’s weekly linens, a boxed desk, the stock for a market stand, the speakers for a wedding upstairs.
+$14 on any band
02Plan a run
Pick two zones.
Watch the run.
Choose where it starts and where it ends. The route, band, price and delivery window follow; then step through the four stages every run goes through.
Tapping the map sets the
- Pickup
- Drop-off
- Planned route
- Ridden so far
- Depot, Spoke Arches
The four stages of a run
- 1BookedDispatch confirms the window and texts you a ticket number.
- 2Picked upA rider collects at the door, scans the ticket and texts you.
- 3On the wayOne rider, one route, straight to the drop-off. No hand-offs.
- 4DeliveredHanded over for a name and a photo, both sent to you.
03Rate card
Four bands.
No surge.
The band counts steps: each zone boundary a run crosses is one step, and the river is one more. No night rate, no rush-hour rate, no fuel surcharge.
| Band | Steps | Window | Envelope | Box | Cargo trike |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| A | None: same zone | Within 60 min | $9 | $13 | $23 |
| B | One: next zone along, or straight across the river | Within 90 min | $13 | $17 | $27 |
| C | Two | Within 2 hours | $17 | $21 | $31 |
| D | Three or four | By 5:30 pm same day | $22 | $26 | $36 |
Cutoffs. Runs that stay on one bank can be booked until 4 pm. Runs that cross the river can be booked until noon. Book after that and your run leaves first thing the next morning.
On top of the band
- Waiting
- First 10 minutes free, then $1 per 5 minutes.
- Return leg
- Signed papers coming back: 60% of the band.
- Extra drop
- Another stop on the same run: $5 each.
- Proof
- A name and a photo at the door. Always included.
- Accounts
- Invoiced monthly. No minimum, no contract.
- Nights, Sundays
- We don’t ride them. Riders go home.
04The fleet
Three frames.
One workshop.
Every bike is electric-assist, owned by the co-op and serviced in the depot workshop under the arches. Your booking text names the frame that is coming.
Longtail
Envelopes and boxes
A stretched rear deck with two waterproof panniers. Narrow enough for the alleys behind Saltmarket, long enough for four bakery trays.
Load up to 130 lb · rear deck · panniers
Front-loader
Boxes and anything fragile
A low box ahead of the rider, so what you send stays in sight the whole way. Foam floor, straps and a rain cover that zips shut.
Load up to 175 lb · low box · rain cover
Cargo trike
Cargo runs
Two wheels up front and a lockable box the size of a washing machine. Takes the ramp at Ferrule Bridge without anyone getting off.
Load up to 250 lb · 24 cu ft box · lock
05The co-op
Owned by the people who ride.
Vectorlane is a worker cooperative. Every rider holds one share and one vote, and the dispatch desk is staffed by riders on rotation. That shapes how a run works.
Paid by the hour, not the drop.
Nobody on a Vectorlane shift earns more by riding faster, so nobody runs a red light for your package.
One rider, one run.
The rider who collects is the rider who delivers. No hub, no sorting shed, no second pair of hands.
Weather is a decision.
We ride in rain and wind. We stand down for ice and lightning, and we call you before your window opens, not after it closes.
Visit the depot
Unit 4, The Spoke Arches
17 Ferrule Lane, Kiln Quarter
Walk-in drop-offs at the counter. Bike parking in arch 3, next door. The coffee is usually on.
- Mon–Fri
- 7:30 am–6:30 pm
- Saturday
- 9 am–2 pm
- Sunday
- Closed
06Before you book
Straight
answers.
Something not here? Call the desk at 555-0107 during business hours.
What won’t you carry?
Live animals, cash over $100, anything hot enough to scorch a bag, hazardous goods, and anything over 250 lb. For odd shapes, ask. Long and light is often fine on the trike.
What if nobody is there to sign?
The rider waits ten minutes and calls you. Then we follow your instructions: a neighbor, a safe place you name, or back to the depot for redelivery the next morning at no charge.
Do you ride in bad weather?
Rain and wind, yes: loads travel in closed, lined boxes. Ice and lightning, no. When we stand down, you hear from us before your window opens.
How will I know where my package is?
You get a text at each of the four stages: booked, picked up, on the way, delivered. There is no live dot to watch. The rider is looking at the road, not at a phone.
Can we book the same run every day?
Yes. A standing run keeps the same pickup time and route on the days you choose, and is invoiced monthly with everything else. Set one up with the form below.
How big is a cargo run, really?
Up to 40 × 32 × 32 inches and 250 lb. Bigger than that and we will tell you, honestly, to rent a van.
07Book
Send us
the run.
Book a single run, or set up a standing one: the same pickup at the same time on the days you choose. The desk confirms every booking by text during business hours.
- Dispatch desk
- 555-0107
- dispatch@vectorlane.example
- Accounts
- accounts@vectorlane.example
- Counter
- Unit 4, The Spoke Arches, 17 Ferrule Lane