Boyana Peeva
VALDOSTA — A rather unique business started operations two weeks ago in Valdosta — it’s green, offered at low cost for the client, fast and reliable.
Horse and Carriage Couriers specializes in the delivery of documents and paperwork, such as filing, discovery, recordings, research and others by bicycle.
Andy McKennie, a partnering owner and courier at Horse and Carriage, is originally from Nevada, where he used to work in a courier company that was using bikes. The traffic and the lack of parking spots was taking too much time and using bikes appeared to be the most efficient way to deliver to their clients. Through his fiancee, he met Erik Mackie, the other partnering owner at Horse and Carriage, who is originally from Valdosta, and both decided to put their love of riding bicycles into a practical use. That is how the idea of Horse and Carriage was born.
“We always loved bikes,” McKennie said, adding that now going to work is a lot nicer.
Both did a lot of research and spoke with local businesses and attorneys to find out if there was really a need for their service. Their idea was accepted with enthusiasm by the places and individuals they visited. According to the owners, usually courier services use cars, and since Valdosta is constantly growing, traffic is growing too, which slows down the service. In addition, using cars is not environmentally friendly, they said.
“The fact that we wanted to do a green business didn’t affect our services at all,” Mackie said.
According to the business’s Web Site (horseandcarriagecourier.com), “We offer an exclusive daily service, with morning and afternoon pickups to simplify daily routine. We are always one phone call away for our clients’ requests, including all specialty pickups, drop-offs, and ASAP necessities.”
Mackie said that they also spent a lot of time researching the routes and geography of Valdosta, so they could always use the shortest ways.
“The geography of Valdosta is bike-friendly,” he said.
Although Horse and Carriage Couriers can deliver in any weather climates by bicycles, they still have automobiles for extreme cases. This way, they are always on the road for the clients.
In case the customer needs something delivered immediately, a dispatch line is always open for calls. Then, within 10 minutes, a courier will come and pick up the paperwork.
According to the owners of Horse and Carriage, customers can rely on them, having their papers delivered on time and at the right place.
“Horse and Carriage Couriers is a licensed, bonded, and insured company. We assume our clients delivery liability,” the Web Site says.
When the couriers go to pick up the papers from a business, a sheet with delivery instructions is attached to them. Once they deliver the papers, they provide a proof that the papers were delivered as requested.
Potential clients interested in this service do not have to call the dispatch line, McKennie
