'People have died but that is how the city is': Food delivery riders speak out about safety fears

Just Eat did not address the question on a minimum fee but said self-employed independent couriers have the legal right to find a substitute company. 

Food delivery riders are being offered jobs for as low as €1 per trip through online food order and delivery apps, the Irish Examiner has learned. 

Average offers tend to be around €3 to €4 for jobs that could take up to half an hour to complete, including waiting time and cycling to and from the delivery destination. 

But the offers can go as low as €1, depending on the demand for work as detected by the algorithms used by the app companies.

A countdown timer pops up on the rider's phone after the delivery comes in and they have as little as 40 seconds to claim the job before it is passed on. 

Speaking about the issues they face in their jobs, Leonardo, a Dublin-based rider who is originally from Brazil, said he works six days a week, often clocking up 11-hour days.

His daily average pay comes to around €82. He has to spend €100 each week just to access the apps, working for around €6 an hour, just above half the national minimum wage of €11.30.

He says a proper minimum wage needs to be introduced for the deliveries as riders are struggling to cover basic costs. 

The financial struggles are enormous but there are also safety fears for him and his colleagues.

WhatsApp groups warn of dangerous spots where people have been targeted, had bikes stolen, or had rocks thrown at them.

"People have died but that is how the city is," he says, claiming there simply aren't enough gardaí on the streets to keep people safe. 

Alex, another rider also from Brazil, echoes this sentiment. He used to work until 3am as the roads were quieter but now says it simply isn't safe to be out after 10pm. 

Deliveroo did not address the subcontracting matter but stated that “all Deliveroo drivers must have the right to work in Ireland in order to have an account with the company”. 

A large proportion of the estimated 3,000 delivery riders currently working in the state are non-nationals, many of whom are in the country on visas to study but which allow up to 20 hours a week of work to be done. 

These visas do not allow the recipient to work on a self-employed basis so riders who work in the delivery industry must pay a qualified person for the right to use their contract with the app, similar to how some taxi drivers used to sub-contract out their licences before that market was deregulated.

The two main technology companies operating these platform apps in the country are Just East and Deliveroo. 

The Irish Examiner asked both companies whether they hae a minimum fee payable predelivery and was there an awareness that contracts were being sub-let to non-national workers who didn’t have the appropriate visa.

Deliveroo did not address the subcontracting matter but stated that “all Deliveroo drivers must have the right to work in Ireland in order to have an account with the company”. 

It also stated that “riders in Ireland always earn at least the national minimum wage plus costs for time spend on orders while working with us. In most cases, riders ear significantly more than this”. 

Just Eat did not address the question on a minimum fee but it did state that self-employed independent couriers have the legal right to find a substitute company. 

Legally, the courier account-holder is responsible for ensuring their substitute meets the necessary standards to deliver on our network.” 

The pay and conditions of delivery riders and drives is attracting increasing attention in the EU and the US. 

Last Sunday, New York’s mayor announced that delivery riders will now earn $17.96 (€16.40) an hour before tips where the average pay until now was around $11 after tips.