KUALA LUMPUR, Feb 24 ― If you live in the Klang Valley, you would have seen them either on the road or picking up food from your favourite eatery.
Food delivery riders ― whichever company they work for ― have become part of the cityscape. No longer is food delivery just confined to fast food the likes of pizzas and burgers.
Now you can have Thai or Korean or whatever strikes your fancy.
But when was the last time you actually paid attention to your food delivery guy? Apart from showing your impatience when he is a little late.
For Uber Eats rider Muhd Hafiz Salleh, 25, who has been with the service since its launch in September, the job has been very demanding but also exciting.
“It is definitely not boring but is quite physically demanding. Customers want to get their food as quickly as possible and you have to deliver it to them safely and intact,” he said.
The average delivery time for Uber Eats is 30 to 45 minutes. However, Hafiz said most riders can complete a delivery well below the allocated time.
“This is because most riders stay near the vendors or partnered restaurants. There are even deliveries done within 10 minutes of the customer's order coming through,” he said.
Hafiz, who works full-time for Uber Eats, said he can earn up to RM1,000 a week, with an average of 10 to 15 deliveries daily.
Uber Eats charge an average of RM1.30 per kilometre, with the rate adjusted accordingly with promotions and delivery distance. He reckons Uber Eats currently has 600 to 700 riders and operates from 9am to midnight daily.
“We understand we provide a service for people who have a hectic lifestyle. In most cases, they are happy to pay for our services in the interest of time despite on occasion the delivery can cost more than their food or drinks,” he said.
Fellow Uber Eats rider Mohammad Jazli Aziz Jaafar, 19, said the job comes with its own share of risks.
“For us to beat the clock, we often manoeuvre jam-packed urban traffic to get to where we need to be. More often than not we have to deal with aggressive drivers.
“We are also considered as high-risk workers and most of us have horror stories of being involved in traffic accidents,” he said.
Sometimes customers get angry because the riders are double-booked said Jazli.
“For example, a rider receives two orders and must prioritise the nearest delivery, leaving the customer whose food is delivered later a bit upset,” he said.
Jazli considers himself fortunate that so far his customers have been very understanding, but technical problems do crop up such as a customer giving wrong or inaccurate location.
For Honestbee part-time rider Mohd Shafiq Jusri, 24, the most challenging aspect of the job is dealing with security guards.
“Residential areas with security guards can be a bit of a hassle. The guards are often uninformed about the delivery, requiring us to call the customer for assistance. It would be more efficient if they can inform their security guards as every minute counts for us.
“The most unlucky is when dogs run after me barking like mad,” he said.
Honestbee charges RM9.99 per delivery and RM11.99 at rush hour and riders get an hourly wage up of up to RM20 an hour; the service is from 11am to 9pm daily.
Shafiq said as a part-time worker for the delivery service, he works in shifts to complement full-time employees.
“Full-time employees receive priority orders while we get any new and outstanding orders. Part-time riders also work in shifts, either morning, lunch and evening.
“Working part-time allows me the flexibility to work other jobs after I'm done with my shift. I can earn up to RM1,500 monthly on top of what I'm earning elsewhere,” he said while adding that part-time riders can do four to eight deliveries a day while full-time riders do 10 to 16 deliveries daily.
For fellow Honestbee rider Ahmad Fareez Ahmad Termizi, 20, the biggest enemy of riders is the weather.
“When it rains it pours, as the saying goes. We motorcyclists are at the mercy of the elements. This is something none of us can do anything about and often our clients cancel their orders when it is heavily delayed by bad weather,” he said.
So the next time you order from any of these services, look your rider in the eye and say “Thank you” for riding through bad traffic and bad weather so you don’t have to.
