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news
Costa Coffee Drive-Through sign (credit - Liam, Twitter)Cyclist says he was refused service at Costa Coffee drive-through – due to company policy “not to serve people on bikes”
A cyclist has claimed that they were refused service at a Costa drive-through – when the shop itself was closed due to several staff being sick – as it is company policy “not to serve people on bikes”.
Liam, a cyclist from Aberdeen, says that an employee at the coffee chain told him that bikes were not permitted in the drive-through lane as they are ‘not road legal, taxed or insured’. In protest, the cyclist then blocked the drive-through, prompting Costa’s employees to call the police.
While many chain restaurants and coffee shops operate a no-bikes policy in their drive-throughs (usually on health and safety grounds), Costa’s refusal to serve Liam, which he has since shared on social media, has been described by some Twitter users as “absolutely shameful”, though others have described the cyclist as “self-righteous”.
Being refused service because I’m on a bike @costacoffee That’s fine, I’m just going to sit my ground and block your drive thru. pic.twitter.com/GNqauVL5sk
— Liam (@howsmydriving28) June 24, 2022
The incident occurred on Friday evening, on the corner of Wellington Road and Abbotswell Road in Aberdeen, as Liam visited Costa while shopping.
Leaving his bike in the racks provided – which, he says, can only be accessed by riding on part of the drive-through lane – Liam approached the shop to find that, due to staff shortages owing to sickness, Costa was operating a drive-through-only service, with the sign attached to the door reading: “You will only be served if in a vehicle”.
“I then hopped on the bike and rolled up to the order point where I was met with a cheery hello,” he tells road.cc.
After submitting his order, Liam approached the collection window, where he says he could see the employee’s “face drop”.
“She then approached the window and said they weren’t serving me as it was company policy not to serve people on bikes – exact words.”
According to Liam, another staff member arrived and politely apologised, before insisting that they were forced to adhere to Costa’s guidelines, “as a car could come up behind and hit you”.
The cyclist – wary of motorists who were being told to pass him – then moved his bike into the middle of the lane, effectively blocking traffic.
“This is when things got a bit absurd,” he says. “She told me that bikes aren’t allowed because they aren’t road legal vehicles and because they’re not taxed and insured”.
The staff member’s explanation for refusing to serve people on bikes echoes the excuse used by Costa’s social media admin in 2020 when questioned on the company's policy.
The admin claimed that the chain “can only allow road worthy, taxed and insured vehicles through the lane”, and told a cyclist they couldn’t use the drive-through because “you’re not taxed or insured to be on the road”.
He then swiftly backtracked on the tax and insurance comment, but maintained that cyclists were not permitted on health and safety grounds.
Liam’s lengthy protest brought the drive-through system to a halt and resulted in a visit from the police, who he claims referred to him as “pathetic” and a “loser” with “nothing better to do on a Friday night”.
“The cops said ‘if we turned up by bike they’d refuse us too and that’s just how it is’”, Liam said.
Bet they would serve a police cyclist in uniform ...🤔 I can understand the health and safety implications of having pedestrians standing in the road with vehicles but as cycles and motor vehicles use the same roads all the time it seems a little bizzare, strange risk assessment.
— Mark Hodson (@markandcharlie) June 25, 2022
The cyclist also claimed that, in order to deal with the disruption and to continue serving customers, Costa staff were taking orders and receiving payment at motorists’ cars.
“Had they actually suggested this to me I would have done it,” he says.
“They flatly refused to serve me but yet they bent over backwards to facilitate those arriving by car.”
A Costa spokesperson told road.cc: “We can confirm that an incident took place at our Abbotswell Road store on Friday, which is temporarily operating for Drive-Thru and Click & Collect only. We are sorry for the inconvenience caused whilst our in-store area is closed.”
The spokesperson confirmed that “the store team followed our policy of not serving cyclists in the Drive-Thru as a safety precaution, and the customer was advised of this when visiting the store.
“The team offered to serve them via Click & Collect from the front of the store – which is the same service they offered other customers that were on foot whilst the in-store area is closed.
“Unfortunately, the customer chose not to do this and instead blocked the lane for around an hour during which the police attended the store.
“Our number one priority is the health and safety of our customers and team members. Like many retailers, Costa Coffee does not serve cyclists using the Drive-Thru lane or Drive-Thru window.
“Our Drive-Thru lanes are designed for motor vehicles only – they are not designed operationally or from a safety perspective for customers on bicycles or on foot.
“Notably, our order process is triggered upon a motor vehicle approaching the order point, and there may also be limited visibility of cyclists whilst in the lane or near other vehicles.”
After obtaining a PhD, lecturing, and hosting a history podcast at Queen’s University Belfast, Ryan joined road.cc in December 2021 and since then has kept the site’s readers and listeners informed and enthralled (well at least occasionally) on news, the live blog, and the road.cc Podcast. After boarding a wrong bus at the world championships and ruining a good pair of jeans at the cyclocross, he now serves as road.cc’s senior news writer. Before his foray into cycling journalism, he wallowed in the equally pitiless world of academia, where he wrote a book about Victorian politics and droned on about cycling and bikes to classes of bored students (while taking every chance he could get to talk about cycling in print or on the radio). He can be found riding his bike very slowly around the narrow, scenic country lanes of Co. Down.
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76 comments
"The admin claimed that the chain “can only allow road worthy, taxed and insured vehicles through the lane”, and told a cyclist they couldn’t use the drive-through because “you’re not taxed or insured to be on the road”."
So they have ANPR linked to their CCTV to ALWAYS check that every motor vehicle is taxed and insured (ahem... wink wink) not to mention has a valid MOT...?
Repeat - but all cyclists are taxed (pay their VED - 0) and insured (required amount - none) to be on the road. Bicycles are legally vehicles (possible odd exception or two) and I'd guess the majority of bikes are road-legal - but bet the coffee shop would have no idea how to check.
Strictly speaking VED only applies to mechanically propelled vehicles and so bikes are entirely outwith the scope of it (i.e. not taxed) - this is slightly distinct to e.g. electric cars which are covered by the VED legislation and so keepers have to "tax" their vehicle even if the amount of tax is £0.
Fair point, I just checked on mobility scooters (prior to "is an e-bike a mechanically propelled vehicle") and almost fell down a rabbit hole...
None of which Costa staff or likely management have any idea about though!
Does Costa serve motorcyclists? their argument about only serving people with vehicles is a nonsense, as bicycles are legally vehicles and as for road sensors not detecting bicycles, inductive loop detectors produce an electromagnetic field which, in turn, detects metallic objects.When a metallic object passes over and remains on the detector, a demand is placed for your movement; the more metal you have on your bike, the easier it is to be detected; even carbon fibre bikes usually have some metal in the pedals or wheels; the inductive loop detectors should be sensitive enough to detect even these small amounts of metal if your bike is positioned in the best place for detection.
McDonalds does the exact same thing. The one near me has sensors where the cars stop to alert the staff to a customer - but bicycles can't activate these, leaving you waiting and blocking a lane to no avail. You won't get served or be able to speak to a person.
I'm sorry, but that bloke is a bit of a moron. With press like this, it's no surprise cyclists get a bad name.
The shop is sut due to staff shortages. They have a policy of not serving cyclists at their drive thru's. Just move on to the next cafe that is actually open and don't be a dick would be my advice.
This kind of crap doesn't help the real cause for cyclists as it just won't get anyone on side, not even cyclists.
What about now?
I tend to agree. Whilst the sign about Click and Collect being available could have been clearer who they choose to serve and how is up to them.
If you dont like it take your business elsewhere. God knows there are plenty of other coffee shops willing to take your money.
Agree with that, but in that case why do they always fall back on the BS "Health and Safety" excuse. Just be honest and say that they have chosen to only serve motor vehicles at the drive through window.
The basis of most discrimination but would have been easily fixed in this case by a big sign saying cyclists and pedestrians please use Click and collect at the front door. Experiencing discrimination is never nice, whether you happen to be in a protected group or not, and it opens up the possibility of discriminating against those in protected groups but claiming It's ok because we discriminated against them for a different reason
“the store team followed our policy of not serving cyclists in the Drive-Thru as a safety precaution..."
Where is the danger coming from? In other words, who is causing the danger?
The danger is imagined, that's what's so stupid about this whole storm in a coffee cup.
Quite a lot missing the point Liam was making I think. Of course it's obvious that 'drive-thru' infers driving. Yes it's understandable there is an H&S reasoning, and there has probably been many vehicle shunts in the drive through queue that because it's private land Costa could be deemed negligent for allowing drivers to be stupid bastards and hit each other. However, the stated reasoning and the police dialogue is where it's wrong. How similar is it to other forms of 'isms? Their first responses are nothing more than an 'ism' against cyclists, then retract when it is called out. 'Don't pay road tax' , 'loser' Good on you Liam, though don't know why you are buying coffee from then anyway, it's overpriced shit.
did the cyclist also advocate for the pedestrians who were not being served? I think there are far more important battles to activate than not getting a coffee due to staff shortage. Feels a little too self centered for my mind.
I don't see why the cyclist can't object. If you want to use the law (as presumably Costa thought they were doing) for something you it's on you to ensure you've got it right. Just because this part of the law isn't something you particularly agree with.
I wouldn't have fought this one but I'm not a Costa fan. However under several legal definitions cycles are vehicles. And the employee's rant about not road legal / taxed is entirely bogus. As long as the bike (and how it was being operated) complied with the law it was "road-legal". I am certain the rider paid the legally required tax (VED - zero) and had the required insurance (e.g. none).
Costa might have been better just saying "we're not serving you unless you're inside a fully-enclosed vehicle". Or - since I believe they're not *bound* to serve anybody - just refusing and giving no reason. (Of course they might be open to challenge over discrimination after that). Bet they didn't even think about anything but large motor vehicles though. Or if they did thought they'd get more complaints from motorists in golf buggies / open-topped sportsters.
The problem I have with these sort of policies is it denies services to those who can't afford, or don't want, to own a car.
It also unfairly stigmatises cycling as being 'dangerous', as someone has made a 'health & safety' decision that cycling through a drive-thru is not safe. Of course it's no worse than cycling on the road (I'd argue considerably safer), but if you asked the person who made that H&S decision, I'm sure they'd say they wouldn't dream of cycling on the road as it's too dangerous!
Is it a massive problem at the moment in comparison with everything else? Well no. But it's just another small reason that your life will be better if you use a car.
"Health and Safety" seems to have legs of its own. All sorts of things are banned on the dubious conjecture that they might lead to some imagined harm. I'd love to know what actual H&S scenario is imagined that leads to cyclists being banned, and how many verified instances, or even near-instances, have been recorded which resulted in the ruling.
TBF, this was a staff shortage issue. I do wonder why they chose to keep the drive through open rather than counter service but presumably it allowed them to keep customers from using tables that they couldn't clean.
I doubt that generally there is big demand for cycle-thru coffee - coffee is a destination!
Yes, this was just a temporary situation, but they could have closed the drive-thru and allowed in person pick-ups only. Is it a big deal for drivers to park up and walk to the counter? Probably for some!
The biggest bugbear of this sort of treatment for me is the local refuse tip. You can't take rubbish to the tip unless you have a car. This is due to 'health & safety', yet as soon as you drive in, you can get out of your car and walk around! It's absolutely ridiculous that I can't ride in there with a cycle trailer full of rubbish to recycle/dispose.
Even worse is that the tips here in Bristol get so congested with cars that there's a line of idling, polluting cars blocking the roads around them. They were so congested that they were doing odd/even number plates on alternate days, but there could still be an hour of queueing to get into the place. They've now had to switch to a pre-booking system instead. It's ridiculous that the amount of time spent actually using the dump is a tiny fraction of the time spent waiting to use it.
Aaaaaaah! Pre-booking; do you have to pre-plan that?
Only if you want to be properly pre-prepared
Surely if I wanted to be improperly pre-prepared, I'd still have to pre-plan it?
Failure to pre-plan is pre-planning to fail?
If you pre-plan or pre-prepare, you can still pre-fail.
Why anyone would want to use these poncey overpriced god damn awful places in the first place is a complete mystery to me.
Are these hipsters lives so meaningless that they actually think it is a good use of their time and money frequenting these ridiculously ignominious emporiums?
There is one near me that has always has a long line of cars queing up for a cup of brown sludge wet fart.
Sorry but I just don't see the attraction and I think they did the guy a favour by not serving him, he gets no sympathy from me.
Either you've not been to a Costa, or you've misunderstood the "hipster" stereotype.
Exactly. No self-respecting hipster would go in a chain coffee store like that. Costa and Starbucks are the McDonalds of the coffee world.
Actually, I find McDonald's coffee rather OK. And not too expensive. And I like their coffee ads.
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