Q&A: Jermaine Bush, electric unicycle delivery man

Seen zipping across the streets of Purdue with his large delivery backpack, atop an electric unicycle, Jermaine Bush said he feels like “a local legend.”

After starting out delivering food through Doordash on a bike, Bush, 19, moved to an electric scooter. He now drives a unicycle that goes up to 50 mph and keeps up with traffic.

Below is our conversation with Bush, edited for length and clarity.

Can you describe all the gear you have?

I have my unicycle that goes 50 mph, 100-mile range, so it has plenty of space to go for, let’s say six hours, an entire shift. Then I have my delivery bag here and that carries all my food. I can do big pizza orders.

As far as on my body, I have to wear gear because crashes do happen. I wear knee pads, elbow pads and gloves. And then I have a phone mount for my phone here. And then a rearview mirror as well.

I remember seeing you earlier this year with a large scooter, What made you upgrade to the unicycle?

I actually have multiple vehicles just in case something breaks. I have a scooter. I have an e-bike and then I have a unicycle as well.

What’s the farthest distance you’ve gone?

I’ve gone as far as like Sagamore North, like almost up to where Cumberland is. I generally stay in this area, because it’d be a lot shorter and you could do a lot more orders.

Are you just doing DoorDash or are you doing any other services?

I do three services. I do DoorDash, Uber Eats and Grubhub. I’ve done this for two years now. Soon I’m going to be starting my own delivery business here. So then I can just do my own thing you know? I feel like I’m a local legend around the area. I know a lot of people say “Hey, it’s the delivery guy,” you know?

My goal is basically just to provide for students and also for businesses downtown. It’s usually just for this area. And that’s what my target audience.

How do you manage not to crash?

It’s very risky because you’re around motor vehicles all day long and that’s the scariest part about my job.

If there’s traffic, I’ll skip to the front but like, it’s not too intense. I do try to be safe, but also get the job done as quickly as possible.

With a unicycle, you feel more alive. You’re zooming through traffic, you’re going through everything, you’re doing the deliveries. It is definitely a fun experience.

Could you go back to when you started this?

Yes, I started on my birthday in September and I just loved it.

At first I started on a bicycle, like a regular pedal bicycle. And it was the hardest experience ever because of the hills here. Over the months, I upgraded to an e-bike and then a scooter and a unicycle, and now I’m fully electric.

What are some of the reactions of customers?

I get pretty interesting reactions. Sometimes I’ve had customers tip more after they saw me on a bike or a unicycle, especially in the rain.

What is your favorite restaurant to deliver from?

I would probably say Panera down on State Street. They usually have a lot of good orders in the morning, especially like bagels and sometimes they tip pretty good.

Is there anything else that you would like people to know about you?

I guess I would like people to know how hard I work. Like I don’t just do 40 hours. And if anybody’s wanting to do something similar, I’d encourage them to do it. You’ll have a fun experience.