KOCHI: Rohit’s phone vibrates with an incoming message. It’s a message notifying him of a delivery to be made in Kadavanthra, an order for biryani from a restaurant near GCDA.
Rohit shoulders the delivery bag and sets off on his bike. He collects the order, bags it and rides off towards the destination.
Once he reaches the address, Rohit finds that the lift’s not working. So, he trudges up a flight of stairs and arrives at the apartment. As soon as he knocks on the door, a beaming customer greets him and accepts the order.
The smiling customer and the incentive that awaits him for delivering the order on time motivates Rohit to take up another order that comes on his phone as he runs down the stairs.
Lenient working hours and the incentives provided by online food delivery apps are attracting many, especially college-going youth. According to Ijaas, a delivery boy who is associated with Uber Eats, the lenient working hours is a boon to the college-goers who want to earn some extra bucks.
“A person can earn a minimum of Rs 20,000 per month. The payment is made every week. Uber Eats also give accident insurance cover for delivery boys. Also, it is a cool way of making some extra pocket money. The only investment is a bike and around Rs 200 for petrol,” he said.
Sanjay, who has completed his engineering course and is awaiting results, agrees with Ijaas. “I found it a better option than to while away my time. For a person who enjoys driving around, the job can be an enjoyment. The only criterion is that you have to be active for 10 hours a day. Timing 60 hours a week will earn you an incentive,” he said.
Ijaas said students who work for these online food delivery apps are a happy lot since it has enabled them to be self-reliant. “They no longer have to depend on their parents for college fees or approach them for money for fuel,” said Ijaas.
A well-coordinated network
The entire delivery system hinges on these delivery boys or executives. A minimum of around 1,200 persons is needed to make the rounds of the city.
“Whenever a customer makes an order the message goes over to the Swiggy mainframe. It then gets conveyed to the person who is nearest to the pick-up and delivery points. However, the delivery boy can either accept or reject the call based on his availability. If he is not available the call gets taken up by another person,” said an HR official at Swiggy.
Swiggy also provides health insurance for the delivery boys and their immediate family members. “They also have an accident insurance of Rs one lakh to Rs five lakh. Also, a medical reimbursement of up to Rs 30,000 is provided to the delivery executives and their immediate family members. Swiggy has also hubs, where the delivery executives can take rest and engage in leisure activities,” said Nobin.
Those between the age of 18 to 45 years are hired, he added. “In the full-time shift, the delivery boy has to clock 11 hours with a one hour break. Part-timers have to clock five hours with no break. The delivery executives can extend their time if they want to. They gain incentives as per the number of deliveries made. A person can earn Rs 26,000 per month for normal work if he clocks 10 hours,” the official said.
Swiggy claims to be the number one food delivery app in Kochi.
“The payments are prompt. Many of our executives are full-timers and there have been people who have earned Rs 10,000 in a week by collecting incentives,” they added. A delivery boy can do a maximum of 20 orders.
According to Uber Eats, they have over 1,000 delivery boys working in the city. In the case of Zomato, the delivery boys are paid incentives. However, they do not have an insurance scheme for their staff and the payments are made weekly.