Pedal Express was a bicycle-based courier service, founded in Berkeley in 1994 by a small group of environmental activists.

The early years were spent focused on the potential of cargo bikes to haul heavy loads, often weighing in excess of several hundred pounds.

As the notoriety of Pedal Express grew, so too did their service area, quickly expanding beyond Berkeley, and into neighboring Oakland and Emeryville. Over time, Pedal Express transformed into a more traditional bicycle courier company, emphasizing speed and efficiency using a variety of bicycle types.

From the beginning, Pedal Express had been a worker-owned cooperative. There were no bosses and all business decisions were reached by consensus. This non-hierarchical model provided riders with a unique opportunity to own and operate a business. The result was a vibrant, communal organization that has been influenced by dozens of people over the past twenty years.

Pedal Express remained committed to its core values. The business was rooted in the belief that the bicycle is a tool to help achieve positive environmental and social change.

[ Question: when did they close? The website was still around May 2022 ]

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