While most deliverymen use their motorcycles or cars, Mr Michael Ng, 63, makes his deliveries around Singapore via public transport.
He said he does not feel any competition between him and his younger peers who zip around in their vehicles.
Mr Ng said: "I travel by foot and public transport, they travel by their own vehicles.
"But that's because my items are lighter, while they usually have to deliver the heavier parcels.
"I don't have to worry about wasting time looking for parking space. I just go up to the house, deliver and I'm done."
In the face of the manpower crunch, retirees can be a possible source of manpower.
Zap Delivery's co-founder and chief executive officer Michael Tan said: "They can definitely add to the available manpower of Singapore and Zap Delivery.
"Some advantages they have are that they have all the time they want to select the jobs they want to fulfil, take on more or less jobs according to their schedules, as compared to part-timers who have lesser available hours to take up jobs from Zap Delivery."
Zap Delivery, launched in last year, is a service platform that provides both same-day delivery services for corporate users, and delivery services within two hours for individuals here.
It was the brainchild of founders Alexander Danilov and Michael Tan, both of whom had experiences with unreliable courier services.
Users can use the Zap! app, available on both Google Play and Apple, to book the nearest courier to deliver their documents or parcels, from a starting fee of $5 for documents, and $6 for parcels in the first 3km..
The fee is split between the courier and the company.
The courier receives 80 per cent while the company gets 20 per cent.
Mr Ng, who retired in 2006, decided to pick up ad hoc jobs as he was restless and did not want to sit around at home.
He says: "Depending on the number of packages I deliver, I can earn an average of $100 a week."
He chose to join Zap Delivery because he felt he was doing a service for people who need "urgent delivery services".
Armed with Google Maps on his smartphone and an old map of Singapore, Mr Ng dutifully does his deliveries be it rain or shine, three times a week, delivering an average of six packages a day.
EASY
While Mr Ng has been working as a courier since last month, he said he has not met any challenges so far.
The maximum weight for a package Mr Ng has delivered is 7kg. Packages are currently limited to 10kg for personal deliveries.
One of his most memorable experiences was delivering a birthday present to a party at Jurong West.
He said: "The woman was unable to attend the party, so I delivered it (to her friend) on her behalf.
"The friend was surprised when I knocked on the door."
Mr Ng even got a slice of birthday cake.
He considers his job as "his mission to make people's vision come true".
He said: "Every job has its own interests, but I do hope to have a chance to deliver cute things in the future."
FastFast app 'helps increase manpower'
Founder of alternative fashion clothing chain 77th street, Ms Elim Chew, has also ventured into the delivery service.
She started courier service FastFast last year with Mr Adrian Ng, founder of app development firm Codigo.
With FastFast, users can arrange for packages to be delivered at about $16 within 90 minutes.
Ms Chew told The New Paper she started FastFast to make lives easier.
She said: "Basically it is like the Uber for courier service, where there are hundreds of drivers ready to deliver your items instantly. At the same time, it offers additional income for people who need it.
"It will save your day, especially when you have urgent and important items to be delivered within a short time."
Ms Chew said companies in Singapore, especially start-ups and small- and medium-sized enterprises (SME), lack the logistic support and resources which FastFast can provide.
She said: "Our goal is to fill that gap and provide on-demand delivery services at affordable rates based on distance, any time and anywhere.
"It also helps to increase manpower by offering employment as well."
CHALLENGES
Ms Chew added that some of the challenges they face might be due to people still being more used to traditional courier services.
She said: "It would take some time for people to be receptive to the idea of using the FastFast app.
"I think there is a lot of potential for FastFast to grow especially with the high cost of living/business and when resources are tight."
- See more at: http://www.tnp.sg/news/singapore-ne...cial&utm_source=Facebook#link_time=1468375752
He said he does not feel any competition between him and his younger peers who zip around in their vehicles.
Mr Ng said: "I travel by foot and public transport, they travel by their own vehicles.
"But that's because my items are lighter, while they usually have to deliver the heavier parcels.
"I don't have to worry about wasting time looking for parking space. I just go up to the house, deliver and I'm done."
In the face of the manpower crunch, retirees can be a possible source of manpower.
Zap Delivery's co-founder and chief executive officer Michael Tan said: "They can definitely add to the available manpower of Singapore and Zap Delivery.
"Some advantages they have are that they have all the time they want to select the jobs they want to fulfil, take on more or less jobs according to their schedules, as compared to part-timers who have lesser available hours to take up jobs from Zap Delivery."
Zap Delivery, launched in last year, is a service platform that provides both same-day delivery services for corporate users, and delivery services within two hours for individuals here.
It was the brainchild of founders Alexander Danilov and Michael Tan, both of whom had experiences with unreliable courier services.
Users can use the Zap! app, available on both Google Play and Apple, to book the nearest courier to deliver their documents or parcels, from a starting fee of $5 for documents, and $6 for parcels in the first 3km..
The fee is split between the courier and the company.
The courier receives 80 per cent while the company gets 20 per cent.
Mr Ng, who retired in 2006, decided to pick up ad hoc jobs as he was restless and did not want to sit around at home.
He says: "Depending on the number of packages I deliver, I can earn an average of $100 a week."
He chose to join Zap Delivery because he felt he was doing a service for people who need "urgent delivery services".
Armed with Google Maps on his smartphone and an old map of Singapore, Mr Ng dutifully does his deliveries be it rain or shine, three times a week, delivering an average of six packages a day.
EASY
While Mr Ng has been working as a courier since last month, he said he has not met any challenges so far.
The maximum weight for a package Mr Ng has delivered is 7kg. Packages are currently limited to 10kg for personal deliveries.
One of his most memorable experiences was delivering a birthday present to a party at Jurong West.
He said: "The woman was unable to attend the party, so I delivered it (to her friend) on her behalf.
"The friend was surprised when I knocked on the door."
Mr Ng even got a slice of birthday cake.
He considers his job as "his mission to make people's vision come true".
He said: "Every job has its own interests, but I do hope to have a chance to deliver cute things in the future."
FastFast app 'helps increase manpower'
Founder of alternative fashion clothing chain 77th street, Ms Elim Chew, has also ventured into the delivery service.
She started courier service FastFast last year with Mr Adrian Ng, founder of app development firm Codigo.
With FastFast, users can arrange for packages to be delivered at about $16 within 90 minutes.
Ms Chew told The New Paper she started FastFast to make lives easier.
She said: "Basically it is like the Uber for courier service, where there are hundreds of drivers ready to deliver your items instantly. At the same time, it offers additional income for people who need it.
"It will save your day, especially when you have urgent and important items to be delivered within a short time."
Ms Chew said companies in Singapore, especially start-ups and small- and medium-sized enterprises (SME), lack the logistic support and resources which FastFast can provide.
She said: "Our goal is to fill that gap and provide on-demand delivery services at affordable rates based on distance, any time and anywhere.
"It also helps to increase manpower by offering employment as well."
CHALLENGES
Ms Chew added that some of the challenges they face might be due to people still being more used to traditional courier services.
She said: "It would take some time for people to be receptive to the idea of using the FastFast app.
"I think there is a lot of potential for FastFast to grow especially with the high cost of living/business and when resources are tight."
- See more at: http://www.tnp.sg/news/singapore-ne...cial&utm_source=Facebook#link_time=1468375752
