Delivery riders sweat through the gap between corporate hype and reality

With temperatures soaring across India, the plight of delivery partners working for direct-to-consumer platforms, including food delivery and quick commerce (qcom), reveals a stark contrast between corporate claims and ground realities.

 

Despite companies asserting they provide adequate support, many workers report poor earnings, limited access to rest, and a lack of basic summer relief measures.

 

Delivery personnel that Business Standard spoke to said that while they have the option to take breaks, it limits their opportunity to earn additional income through incentives. Delivery partners typically earn bonuses after completing a certain number of orders within a set time frame.

 

For instance, Suraj (name changed), a delivery partner working with a qcom platform, showed on his Swiggy Instamart application (app) that if he completes 17 deliveries, he earns an incentive of ₹110; for 20 deliveries, ₹190; for 24 deliveries, ₹250; for 29 deliveries, ₹320 — and so on.

 

“I have to complete a minimum of 17 orders to earn additional income, and during the day, I cannot reject more than one order. The platform also assigns back-to-back orders automatically, leaving no window for rest. Since we only get ₹15 per order at Swiggy Instamart, we rely heavily on incentives to boost our earnings, often at the cost of rest. Nonetheless, we do get Glucon-D and lemon water at the dark stores,” Suraj said.

 

To qualify for incentives, the app specifies that workers must not reject more than one order during the incentive duration. Suraj must also log in for four hours and 30 minutes during a designated ‘mandatory slot’ — from 6 pm to 11 pm in his case — and deliver at least four orders during this period.

 

Another delivery worker, Ajay, who works for Amazon and the food-delivery platform Zomato, said he receives water, coffee, and access to restrooms while working for Amazon. However, this isn’t the case with Zomato, due to the nature of the work.

 

“At Zomato, I don’t go to a dark store to pick up food orders, but rather to malls and food outlets. We often face difficulty accessing restrooms and have to request water from restaurant staff,” Ajay said. Both delivery partners noted that taking extended breaks due to the heat ultimately reduces their income and ability to qualify for incentives.

 

Meanwhile, delivery partners of qcom platform Blinkit went on a two-day strike (April 26–27) in Uttar Pradesh’s Varanasi district. Their demands included ending mandatory work hours between noon and 4 pm, increasing the minimum wage, providing proper rest areas, cotton uniforms, and other basic summer amenities. Following the strike, the company blocked the IDs of nearly 150 partners, according to social media posts by the Gig and Platform Service Workers’ Union. However, the company has since begun the process of unblocking some IDs.

 

Business Standard reached out to Blinkit, but the queries did not elicit a response.

 

On the other hand, companies said they are taking special efforts to ensure delivery partners receive adequate support.

 

In an earlier email response, Eternal (parent company of Zomato and Blinkit) said, “We have doubled down on our Shelter Project, taking the number of our rest points to over 2,500 across India. These rest points are equipped with comfortable seating, free drinking water, mobile charging stations, and clean washroom facilities. We have introduced full-sleeve, dry-fit T-shirts for all delivery partners to ensure comfort as temperatures rise.”

 

“After every order, our partners return to Zepto’s dark stores, where they have access to dedicated rest areas, clean washrooms, drinking water, and refreshments — eliminating the need to find rest spots in malls or residential complexes. We also ensure they’re equipped for changing weather conditions, providing essential gear for rain and cold, while partnering brands to offer seasonal support,” a spokesperson for Zepto said earlier.

 

Not just Eternal and Zepto, Amazon India also said it has opened six Ashray centres — dedicated rest stops — for delivery associates in Gurugram, with plans to expand to 100 Ashray centres across India by 2025. According to the company, 11 of these are already operational in the Delhi-Gurugram region. 

Of big claims, bigger issues

 

Delivery partners’ grievances

 

> Poor earnings

> Limited access to rest

> Lack of basic summer relief measures

> While delivery partners have the option of taking rest, it limits their opportunity to earn additional income, incentives

 

Corporate-speak

 

> Companies say they are taking special efforts to make sure delivery partners get all support

> Eternal has doubled down on its Shelter Project

> Amazon has six Ashray centres in Gurgaon and a total of 11 centres across Delhi NCR; plans to expand to 100 across India by 2025