The Bicycle Courier
De Fietskoerier is a privately held Belgian bicycle courier service, founded in 2004 and operating in the Antwerp metropolitan area. It provides same-day Standard, Express, and Express Plus deliveries plus specialized e-commerce, medical, and B2B city distribution services using cargo bikes and bike trailers.
- Company typePrivate
- Founded2004
- HeadquartersAntwerp, Belgium
- Headcount11–50
- GTM typeB2B and B2C
- OfferingServices
What The Bicycle Courier does
De Fietskoerier BV, operating as The Bicycle Courier (De Fietskoerier), is a privately held Belgian bicycle courier service headquartered in Antwerpen that has provided same-day urban delivery services in the Antwerp metropolitan area since 2004. The company operates a fleet of cargo bikes (Bullitt brand), bike trailers, and standard courier bicycles, supported by a city-edge hub-and-spoke distribution model with a warehouse facility in Berchem (Patriottenstraat 29) and headquarters on Lange Beeldekensstraat 215. Its service portfolio is built around three time-guaranteed delivery tiers — Standard (≤3 hours), Express (≤2 hours, 1.5x standard rate), and Express Plus (≤1 hour, 1.75x standard rate) — supplemented by specialized products for e-commerce same-day delivery, "Met zorg" (With Care) handling for medical transport and sensitive items, "Stadsdistributie" multi-drop city distribution with route optimization, and "Maatwerk" custom logistics solutions. Revenue is generated per-transaction with surcharges for cargo oversize (€5), additional packages (€2), waiting time (€5 per 5-minute block), and same-day bookings (20%), plus volume discounts for return shipments (25%) and weekly recurring bookings (10%); all rates are publicly disclosed on the company website and exclude VAT.
The company sells directly to end customers through its website (price calculator, instant booking), phone, and email, emphasizing a personal service model where callers reach couriers directly. For shipments outside the bike-radius, De Fietskoerier partners with auto courier operators and traditional carriers to extend national and international reach without owning motorized capacity. The customer base is diversified across e-commerce webshops (primary), healthcare providers, local businesses needing recurring city distribution, and individuals/SMBs shipping specialty items such as flowers and documents. Core technology consists of the cargo bike fleet and a route optimization software for planning multi-drop distribution rounds; there is no mobile app, no API, and no documented AI/ML capability. Operating hours are weekdays only, 8:30–17:30.
The business is founder/owner-operated, bootstrap-financed with no recorded external funding rounds, no parent company, no subsidiaries, no patents or trademarks, and no disclosed leadership beyond general contact information. Twenty years of continuous operation under the De Fietskoerier brand, combined with the company's positioning as a zero-emission alternative that bypasses Antwerp's low-emission zone restrictions, forms the basis of its competitive positioning. No revenue figures are disclosed in available sources.
The Bicycle Courier firmographics
Firmographics- Name
- The Bicycle Courier
- Legal name
- De Fietskoerier BV
- Website
- https://defietskoerier.be
- Company type
- Private
- Founded year
- 2004
- Operating status
- Operating
- Headcount range
- 11–50 employees
- Short description
- De Fietskoerier is a privately held Belgian bicycle courier service, founded in 2004 and operating in the Antwerp metropolitan area. It provides same-day Standard, Express, and Express Plus deliveries plus specialized e-commerce, medical, and B2B city distribution services using cargo bikes and bike trailers.
- Ownership category
- akta.pro rank
The Bicycle Courier industry classification
Industry- Product category
- Urban Last-Mile Courier & Logistics Services
- NAICS
- Local Messengers and Local Delivery (4922), Couriers and Express Delivery Services (49211), Freight Transportation Arrangement (48851)
- SIC
- Trucking & Courier Services (No Air) (4210), Arrangement Of Transportation Of Freight & Cargo (4731)
- akta.pro primary industry
- Local Document & Small Parcel On‑Demand Courier (TLAAADAA)
Keywords
Where The Bicycle Courier is headquartered
LocationHeadquarters
- HQ city
- Antwerp
- HQ country
- Belgium
- HQ region
- Europe
Offices2 records
Markets served
The Bicycle Courier business model
Business model- GTM type
- B2B and B2C
- Offering type
- Services
- Cost components
- Personnel, Operations, Infrastructure, Technology or R&D, Marketing or Sales, Supply Chain
Revenue model
- Delivery Services: Per-delivery fees based on service tier (Standard, Express, Express Plus), with surcharges for cargo, same-day delivery, waiting time, and cancellations. Volume discounts available for return shipments and weekly bookings.
Pricing tiers
| Model | Billing | Price |
|---|---|---|
| Transaction based/ take rate | Pay-as-you-go | Standard delivery within 3 hours |
| Transaction based/ take rate | Pay-as-you-go | Express delivery within 2 hours |
| Transaction based/ take rate | Pay-as-you-go | Express Plus delivery within 1 hour |
| Unit Pricing | Pay-as-you-go | Cargo surcharge for oversized items |
| Unit Pricing | Pay-as-you-go | Additional package surcharge |
| Unit Pricing | Pay-as-you-go | Waiting time charges |
| Unit Pricing | Pay-as-you-go | Cancellation fee |
| Other | Pay-as-you-go | Return shipment discount |
| Other | Monthly | Weekly booking discount |
Go-to-market motion1 record
Distribution channels2 records
Marketing channels3 records
The Bicycle Courier product offering
Product offeringCore offering
The Bicycle Courier provides urgent bicycle-based courier and parcel delivery services in and around Antwerp, using cargo bikes and bike trailers. It offers tiered time-based delivery (Standard within 3 hours, Express within 2 hours, Express Plus within 1 hour), same-day e-commerce parcel delivery, careful transport of medical items and sensitive documents, first/last-mile city distribution via a city-edge hub, and custom logistics solutions. Per-delivery fees, surcharges, and volume discounts apply, with bookings accepted via website, phone, or email.
Product overview
The Bicycle Courier (De Fietskoerier) is a bicycle courier service operating in and around Antwerp for over 20 years. The company offers a portfolio of time-based delivery products: Standard (3-hour delivery), Express (2-hour delivery), and Express Plus (1-hour delivery), each priced at increasing multipliers. Additional services include E-commerce same-day delivery, Met zorg (With Care) for sensitive deliveries like medical transport and important documents, Stadsdistributie (City Distribution) for first/last mile logistics with route optimization, and Maatwerk (Custom) for tailored logistics solutions. A Price Calculator tool enables customers to estimate costs for Standard deliveries. All services are delivered using cargo bikes, bike trailers, and regular bicycles, with a hub-based model for city distribution.
Differentiator
Problem solved
Functional benefit
Products and services
- Standard Delivery Standard bicycle courier service providing pickup and/or delivery within a 3-hour timeframe in and around Antwerp. Same-day deliveries carry a 20% surcharge; serves individuals, businesses, and one-off senders needing reliable city delivery at the base per-run rate.
- Express Delivery Fast bicycle courier service for urgent deliveries within Antwerp, offering pickup and delivery within 2 hours at 1.5x the standard rate. Available for calls after 14:30 for same-day runs.
- Express Plus Delivery Same-day bicycle courier service with pickup and/or delivery within 1 hour at 1.75x the standard rate, including exact-time pickups and deliveries. Bookable by phone for the most urgent runs.
- E-commerce Same-Day Delivery Same-day parcel delivery service for webshop orders within Antwerp city center, including pickup at the seller's location, in-transit tracking, and proof of delivery confirmation. Designed for online retailers and e-commerce fulfillment.
- Met zorg (With Care) Sensitive-Item Delivery Specialized careful delivery service for items requiring extra handling care, including medical transport, medicines, flowers, and important documents. Targeted at healthcare providers, florists, and individuals sending sensitive or delicate items.
- Stadsdistributie (City Distribution) First and last-mile logistics service with a hub at the Antwerp city edge, using route-optimization software to plan and execute multi-stop distribution rounds for booklets, products, and samples across multiple locations. Designed for local businesses with recurring urban distribution needs.
- Maatwerk (Custom Logistics Solutions) Custom-tailored logistics solutions for requirements not covered by the standard catalogue, from specialized medical transport needs to large-volume deliveries using cargo bikes and bike trailers. Pricing on request via "Prijs op maat."
Quantifiable outcome
- First-attempt delivery success rate: nearly all orders delivered on first attempt due to personal approach
Companies that use The Bicycle Courier
Customer profileSegments4 records
Ideal customer profiles4 records
The Bicycle Courier technology and API
TechnologyTechnology focussed No
API detail
- Has API
- No
- API docs
- API detail
Core technology
AI maturity
App detail
Feature2 records
The Bicycle Courier partnerships and signals
Strategic signalPartnerships
One partnership is on record.
- Auto Koerier (Car Courier Partners)supportingPartnership with car courier services for (inter-)national shipments that fall outside the bike courier service area. The company leverages volume discounts from these partners to offer competitive rates for broader geographic coverage.
Scale indicators3 records
Recent moves5 records
Expansion highlights5 records
The Bicycle Courier competitors and assessment
Company assessmentRegional players
- PostNL: Dutch postal and parcel operator with growing Benelux footprint and active e-commerce delivery operations in the Netherlands. Comparable in same-day and B2B parcel services, though Dutch-centric and significantly larger scale than De Fietskoerier.
Broad incumbents
- bpost: Belgian national postal operator offering parcel, express, and e-commerce delivery across Belgium. Overlaps with De Fietskoerier on Antwerp same-day and parcel services, but bpost operates a vastly broader portfolio (mail, banking, international) and primarily uses vans rather than cargo bikes.
- DPD Belgium: Major European parcel network with Belgian same-day, next-day, and B2B delivery services. Broad incumbent competing for De Fietskoerier's e-commerce and SMB customers, particularly for outsize items and multi-parcel shipments that exceed cargo-bike capacity.
- DHL Express Belgium: Global logistics giant with Belgian operations providing international and domestic express services. Competes on the international partner-network leg of De Fietskoerier's offering, while De Fietskoerier competes with DHL's intra-city services on speed for Antwerp deliveries.
Emerging players
- Stuart Delivery: European on-demand urban delivery platform operating in Belgium, France, and other EU cities with a courier marketplace model. Adjacent positioning to De Fietskoerier's on-demand Antwerp service, with stronger technology stack but less localized brand equity.
- Bringme: Belgian smart-parcel-box and last-mile delivery solution targeting offices and residential buildings. Adjacent and enabling player; reduces failed deliveries that motivate De Fietskoerier's first-attempt success rate, and represents a complementary smart-logistics technology for the Benelux market.
- Brenger: Dutch on-demand bulky-item delivery platform connecting customers with courier vehicles, including cargo bikes. Adjacent urban delivery model using similar zero-emission fleets, partially overlapping with De Fietskoerier's Maatwerk custom-logistics and cargo-bike offerings.
Direct peers
- Euroservice Couriers: Belgian courier with national same-day, express, and medical transport services, including Antwerp operations. Directly competes with De Fietskoerier in express intra-city delivery and medical/specialty handling, though uses motor vehicles as the primary mode.
- Cycloon: Dutch cargo-bike courier operating in multiple Dutch cities with a worker-cooperative model and zero-emission urban delivery. Closest direct analogue: similar vehicle mix (cargo bikes + trailers), SME/customer base, same-day intra-city positioning, and like-for-like LEZ-driven value proposition across the Benelux.
- Peddler: Amsterdam-based cargo-bike courier serving Dutch e-commerce and B2B customers with same-day and scheduled rounds. Highly comparable vehicle fleet, customer profile (webshops, SMEs), and city-level zero-emission courier positioning to De Fietskoerier.
Market position
Strengths5 records
Weaknesses5 records
Competitive moat5 records
Key risks6 records
Key highlights7 records
Customer concentration
The Bicycle Courier social profiles
Digital presenceThe Bicycle Courier financial estimates
Financial estimateRevenue estimate
Valuation estimate
The Bicycle Courier leadership team
Management profileNumber of profiles
The Bicycle Courier funding detail
Funding detailFunding overview
Funding rounds
Investors
Funding detail is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →
The Bicycle Courier M&A and investment
M&A and investmentM&A
Investments
M&A and investment is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →
Frequently asked questions about The Bicycle Courier
What does The Bicycle Courier do?
The Bicycle Courier provides urgent bicycle-based courier and parcel delivery services in and around Antwerp, using cargo bikes and bike trailers. It offers tiered time-based delivery (Standard within 3 hours, Express within 2 hours, Express Plus within 1 hour), same-day e-commerce parcel delivery, careful transport of medical items and sensitive documents, first/last-mile city distribution via a city-edge hub, and custom logistics solutions. Per-delivery fees, surcharges, and volume discounts apply, with bookings accepted via website, phone, or email.
Is The Bicycle Courier a public or private company?
The Bicycle Courier is a private company. It is classified as founder individual operated bootstrapped and is currently operating.
When was The Bicycle Courier founded?
The Bicycle Courier was founded in 2004. It employs 11 to 50 people.
Where is The Bicycle Courier based?
The Bicycle Courier is headquartered in Antwerp, Belgium, in the Europe region.
How does The Bicycle Courier make money?
One revenue line is on record: delivery Services.
Who are The Bicycle Courier's main competitors?
PostNL is listed as a regional player. Broad incumbents are bpost, DPD Belgium and DHL Express Belgium. Emerging players are Stuart Delivery, Bringme and Brenger. Direct peers are Euroservice Couriers, Cycloon and Peddler.
Does The Bicycle Courier have an API?
No public API is recorded for The Bicycle Courier.
What industry is The Bicycle Courier in?
The Bicycle Courier's product category is Urban Last-Mile Courier & Logistics Services. Its primary akta.pro industry code is TLAAADAA, Local Document & Small Parcel On‑Demand Courier. Its NAICS code is 4922 and its SIC code is 4210.