Food Delivery Riders

Food delivery riders work in very tough conditions.  Like all bike riders, they are faced with disconnected bike infrastructure which often provides no option but to mix with traffic.  The dangers are increased by the need to work at night, in poor weather conditions and under time pressures. What’s more, restaurants are generally concentrated on high streets where governments have struggled to create safe space for cycling.

Bike-based workers are a ‘canary in the coal-mine’ for road safety problems that have been ignored for far too long.

A spate of tragic deaths of migrant workers using bikes in late 2020 exposed dangerous work practices and pressures by food delivery companies.

Bicycle NSW was very involved with lobbying for systemic change in 2020 and 2021. More recently, we have worked with platforms to improve their safety training and rider education.

Things have improved. In many areas, there is more safe infrastructure for riders. The platforms must provide basic induction training now as well as hi-vis clothing, lights and helmets. The apps have been modified to help make the work safer - they provide riders with bike-friendly route suggestions, allow adequate time between jobs, and block access while riding.  SafeWork NSW has resources for riders and platforms in several languages.

However, there is a long way to go.

Safe infrastructure still missing in many of the places where riders congregate – think King St in Newtown, Bondi Road and Oxford Street. Many of the e-bikes rented to riders are dangerous and illegal. Some riders do not obey road rules - often for very understandable reasons - and this impacts the safety of all road users.

Most importantly, none of the work undertaken to improve safety for delivery workers has addressed a core issue - the behaviour of motor vehicle drivers.