Living Out Your UPS Dreams: Roadie Delivery Service
Judy Antell
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Yes, there’s an app for that: send or transport goods with Roadie.
Every time we drove one of our older girls to college, we filled up a car to take bring her, then had a nearly empty car for the trip home.
Roadie, a ‘neighbor to neighbor shipping network’ lets you capitalize on that bonus space, AirBnB-style, by offering it up to transport goods for someone else. Essentially, you serve as a personalized UPS delivery person, bringing someone else’s stuff from point A to point B.
Or using another person’s empty space to send your own stuff. My kids still remember the mother who, overhearing at a soccer game that we were looking at the college her daughter attended, had me bring her winter coat and down comforter. With Roadie, instead of just incurring good will, you can earn some cold hard cash.
The app works like many in the ‘gig’ economy; you post what you need to have delivered, and the algorithm matches you with a driver. Drivers get 80% of the payment, which varies according to size, distance and urgency. You can even bring someone’s pet.
Items are insured for up to $500 and senders can add additional insurance for a small fee. And to prevent any nefarious delivery items, you have to post a picture of what you want sent.
And Roadie is environmentally conscious. You need not wrap items you want shipped – they can just be put in the back seat or trunk. And if shipping by trucks is cut down, then fuel is saved.
Just think of all the ways Roadie can save you – the time my friend forgot his laptop in New York and had to drive from Boston and back to get it in time for a presentation; when my niece and her new husband left their honeymoon tickets in Houston, got married in Dallas, someone had to fly back and get the tickets.
Such a clever game changer, and one that can make sending a care package of fresh baked cookies to an out of town friend easy as, well, pie.