09-Feb-2024

Driver Jatt

York doesn’t disappoint. The parking does though!

Okay, to start off with, it’s very late in the evening. Bars and clubs late. The kind of quiet that only exists after the shops have shut and before the clubs really kick off.

My job was a late pickup in York. Simple enough, until the first rule of being a courier anywhere new hits you: you have to park the van.

The Great Parking Saga

I pulled into the first multi-storey I saw and went to pay at the machine. £12.50. For one hour. I’ll pass, thank you. My profit on this job wasn’t going to be donated to a concrete slab.

Next, I tried a council car park, hoping for civic mercy. £4.35 for the rest of the evening. Better, but still a firm ‘I’ll pass again’ from me. I was starting to think the historic city walls were designed to keep out reasonably priced vehicles.

I was now seriously contemplating giving this place a miss. A mad thought for a job, but the principle was starting to outweigh the payment. Thankfully, on my third loop, I found it. On-street parking. A little further out, but a glorious £0.20 for the entire night. It left me plenty of change for a celebratory pasty from the local shop. A small victory, but a crucial one.

A Late-Night View of York

Now, York itself is a very interesting place. At that quiet hour, it was just me, the ancient stones, and the sound of the river. It has all the history you’d expect: towering buildings, the famous city wall, and the River Ouse running right through its heart.

Speaking of the river, parts of it had already flowed over the banks, a gentle invasion of the paths. I got chatting to a rescue person on standby. I asked about the true extent of the river rising during ‘flooding season’. He described levels that get shockingly high, pointing to markers on nearby buildings. It was quite scary when you think about it. A real, annual threat that many of us in larger, less ancient cities never have to consider. It adds a whole different layer to the word ‘foundations’.

I’ll write more about York the day I get to properly mooch around on the city walls in daylight. For now, the late-night version, with its empty streets and looming history, was gift enough.

The Professional Takeaway

This is the unseen part of the logistics. Anyone can drive from A to B. The skill is in the problem-solving between the postcodes. It’s knowing that a £12.50 car park will wreck a job’s margin. It’s having the patience to find the £0.20 spot that makes it work. It’s adapting to the city, whether it’s medieval York or modern Manchester, to get the job done efficiently.

That’s what you’re really paying for with a courier. Not just the journey, but the navigational savvy to make the journey make sense. Next time you need something collected or delivered, remember—I’ve probably already found the cheap parking.

Enjoy the pics. They were almost free.

#courier #travel #sameday #logistics

So, do you need a courier? One that dreams of walking on the walls on China but chooses York instead? Mainly due to financial constraints? Of course you do!

Click on www.frigate-express.co.uk  and use the calculator to quote you. If you have any questions???? Get in touch