Home   News   Article

Future looks bright for new courier firm


By Calum MacLeod

Easier access to your trusted, local news. Subscribe to a digital package and support local news publishing.



Click here to sign up to our free newsletters!
Matthew Lafferty who is starting his own cycle courier business in the town for non-food items....Picture: Gary Anthony..
Matthew Lafferty who is starting his own cycle courier business in the town for non-food items....Picture: Gary Anthony..

Matthew Lafferty is hoping that his two-wheeled and environmentally friendly alternative to conventional courier services will appeal to the public and businesses as Christmas approaches.

Cycle powered fast-food deliveries have become familiar in the Inverness area, but Mr Lafferty’s Laughing Tree Couriers – the title is a play on his surname – can find a niche delivering parcels and other non-food items.

Mr Lafferty recently returned to his home town of Inverness from Glasgow where the cycle courier business has been undergoing something of a renaissance, in part due to climate change concerns and the concept of “green last mile services”.

“That’s when the couriers take their deliveries to city centre depots and instead of having vans driving about the city, they sub-contract them to cycle couriers,” he explained.

“It reduces emissions, but it is also more efficient because the city centre is always jammed and the average speed of their bikes is actually quicker than the average speed of the traffic.”

He now wants to offer a similar service in Inverness, where he believes the drive to support local business will help attract interest.

“People want to buy local. They don’t want to ship stuff from long distances. Everyone is aware of the ongoing climate crisis, as well as, especially this year, being aware of the need to keep local businesses running. So my focus will be on connecting with local businesses and connecting with local people,” Mr Lafferty said.

As well as providing a courier service for business, he also hopes individuals will embrace the idea as a local alternative to using the Post Office.

“If you want to get something halfway across Inverness, why put it through the whole mail system when it can be much simpler and much healthier for the city as a whole for us to deliver door to door?” he asked.

“In the long run, I’m hoping that we will see that switch, but also just a change in perception. As soon as you spark a conversation about cars and bikes sharing the road, it can be very controversial and very polarising and I think that is through a lack of understanding.

“It doesn’t have to be that way – when you turn up with a takeaway on a bike, the reaction is always positive.”

Laughing Tree launched on social media last month and early reaction has been encouraging.

“People think it’s a great idea, but businesses always have more questions because they want to know if it is viable, “ he continued.

“We don’t have the same economies of scale, but with bikes you don’t have fuel costs or maintenance costs that are as high as vans and cars. The overheads are much smaller, so we are able to keep it affordable.

“There is always going to be a slight premium because it is a unique custom service, but people seem to be willing to accept that. Even the businesses who don’t think it is viable for them at the moment are all very positive and are spreading the word to friends and family and other businesses.

“There will be a pricing structure there, but it will be competitive and I think that will be our chance to prove the business is not just viable, but a worthwhile service for business and the community.”

Mr Lafferty, who is running the business on his own, assisted by his wife Nikita, hopes to be able to take on an additional courier in the new year.

“I have spoken to a few of the couriers around the city who are doing food deliveries and I imagine quite a few of them would be happy to switch to a daytime job, so hopefully we can offer more stable job opportunities in the future,” he added.


Do you want to respond to this article? If so, click here to submit your thoughts and they may be published in print.



This site uses cookies. By continuing to browse the site you are agreeing to our use of cookies - Learn More