Among the heroes to emerge during the coronavirus pandemic in Hungary are bicycle couriers, who are helping to deliver face masks to home-bound citizens and food to the homeless.

Budapest bicycle courier company Hajtas Pajtas, which is facing a decreased in demand for deliveries because of the lockdown, has decided to reinvent its role to help out the public health crisis: its couriers are now delivering face masks to residents, for free.

"Because of our job we have to meet people and be out on the streets anyway, so we try to help those who don't have to leave their homes," bicycle courier Attila Gaal says.

Some Hungarians who have lost their jobs because of the economic turmoil created by the coronavirus are now turning to bicycle delivery as a way to put food on their own tables. Co-owner of Hajtas Pajtas Gabor Kurti says people in all sorts of careers, who have lost work as a result of the pandemic, have been in touch asking for a job. "Musicians, actors, a dentist... lots of people want to join us as couriers," he says. "In the case of a dentist, the virus outbreak means a full stop to their job. Many want to join but we can't employ everyone."

Volunteer group Budapest Bike Maffia usually prepares and collects food donations and delivers them by bike, but it's had to cancel some of its charity projects to avoid the risk of spreading the virus. But the volunteers are finding other ways to help.

"Now 90 percent of the shelters don't accept any homeless people because of the virus outbreak," Budapest Bike Maffia founder Zoltan Havasi says.

"Our task is to take care of these people and give them masks and hand sanitizer, for example."

When the lockdown rules were introduced a month ago, traffic decreased and bikes ruled the roads in Budapest. But since then, the government has made all public parking free with the aim of thinning the crowds on public transport, and to the dismay of local mayors that has boosted the numbers of people driving and the number of cars filling up the central business district.

"When they first introduced the restrictions, there were significantly fewer cars on the roads of Budapest. Now there are more cars again, the discipline has apparently loosened up a little. But even now there are much less cars than normally."

The Budapest Bike Maffia charity has also benefited from a surge in generosity from the public. "Now we are focusing mainly on delivering the homeless fruit and vitamins to strengthen their immune system," says Havasi. "People are much more helpful now, we receive a lot more donations than before."