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Deliveroo criticised for letting inexperienced riders loose without lights

The delivery company says "helmets and lights are on their way" but cycle instructor says its riders need training...

A food delivery company has been accused of putting its cycle delivery workers at risk by not providing them with adequate training or bike lights for deliveries made outside of daylight hours.

After a number of complaints made to Deliveroo's social media pages, reporting its riders looking unsteady on their mounts and cycling without lights at night time, concerned members of the public demanded Deliveroo act.

In response Deliveroo, whose freelance cyclists and drivers deliver takeaway food from a variety of restaurants, says lights and helmets for its riders are "on their way" but says riders, who are all freelance,  can also choose the shifts they work.

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Donnachadh McCarthy, co-founder of Stop Killing Cyclists has echoed general concerns voiced about the safety of Deliveroo's riders.

He told road.cc: "Whilst we welcome companies like Deliveroo using cycling for local deliveries, it is important that they take their employer's duties to their delivery staff seriously and ensure that they are all properly trained in how to cycle safely on our busy roads and to ensure that they are equipped with road-worthy bikes and safety-lights."

On an advertisement for new freelance delivery cyclists (pictured below), paid £7 per hour plus tips, the company asks for candidates who "own a bike and love cycling", but it doesn't request specific cycle qualifications, only the fitness and confidence to ride on the roads. Among "full equipment" offered with the job, the advert only lists "rack, branded waterproof clothing, mobile case and battery pack", but not lights.

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While Deliveroo's listing mentions its riders get a "basic training session and trial shift with an experienced cyclist" David Dansky, Head of Training and Development at Cycle Training UK, told road.cc without professional training new delivery riders could simply be picking up other riders' bad habits.

Deliveroo advert Gumtree 6 Nov 2015.png

 

Dansky said: "It seems to me that  [Deliveroo] do some kind of buddy riding with an experienced rider. Experienced means that they have had a lot of hours in the saddle but they might have bad habits that they adhere to.

"Many Deliveroo riders, like many riders who haven't been trained, do things like trying to get ahead of traffic by squeezing through gaps between vehicles. I presume they don't know the risks, but I suppose if you are riding with a company logo there are a minimum of standards you should adhere to, including following the Highway Code.

"I would recommend that they train cycle instructors in house, but they should be training people to level 3 of the national standard for cycle training as many cycle companies do".

Dansky pointed out that as all Deliveroo riders are freelance, providing training could put them in the category of employee, but that instead the company could instead ask for a Level 3 Bikeability qualification of all staff who apply for jobs with them.

In response to concerns Deliveroo spokesperson told road.cc it takes the safety of its cyclist community very seriously, "constantly looking for ways to improve it and provide the training and kit necessary to stay safe on the road".

The spokesperson said: "To date, safety procedures have been a big part of induction for cyclists, including a basic training session and trial shift with an experienced cyclist to assess safety on the road. Cyclists are free to choose the shifts they want without the pressure of specific speed or time targets tied to deliveries."

"Lights and helmets are on their way and will be made available to any of our cyclists who don’t already have them. We’ve sent email and text reminders to our cyclist community reminding them of how to stay safe."

However the company has been unable to provide a date for the delivery of lights to all its riders.

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15 comments

Avatar
hampstead_bandit | 8 years ago
2 likes

Seems to be a common theme of these new "disruptive" app company's like uber, air b'n'b, deliveroo..they rely on a freelance workforce so the 'company' is not liable for their activities. Merely providing a peer to peer connection?

There have been numerous reports in the media of air bnb rented property's being trashed, uber cars being crashed injuring passenger and technically the app company not liable?

How long before a deliveroo cyclist gets run over and a lack of road training or proper check of the vehicle (I.e. faulty brakes, no lights) is seen as a mitigating cause?

Cannot see the use of self employed / freelance workforce as a suitable method to build a new business. Yet these new tech companies which are fawned over by investors and business leaders are of course profitable because they are not exposed to fixed payroll costs and proper training / fleet to minimise liability risks that "employers" with its own workforce have to shoulder.

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mrfree | 8 years ago
0 likes

It's not correct to say that training isn't the best option. If you truly think about it, it's the only viable option the company can do (besides equipment). The things I've learned from bicycle training courses have saved my life on more than one occasion, and more so than any helmet could have.

One option for the company would be to train a member of staff as a cycle instructor (sometimes free!) that can train all new employees on a one day training course, and making it clear to employees that if they do not adhere to what they learned in the training, disciplinary action will be taken.

I'm not saying this will stop people texting on their phones and going through red-lights, people do that at their own risk, they know it's illegal, and it's no fault of the company.

And Beefy, cycle trainers don't make a lot of money. In fact, I could probably make more delivering pizzas.

Bikeability instructor.

Avatar
jollygoodvelo | 8 years ago
1 like

I don't want to see _anyone_ riding like a plonker and/or without lights after dark.  It's a legal requirement for the very good reason that it's damn near impossible to see an unlit bike in the dark.

It's only more noticeable that the Deliveroo riders are without lights because they stick out with a big logoed box.  

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atlaz | 8 years ago
1 like

Is this terribly different to bike couriers or are they "better" because of the counter-culture image?

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alexb | 8 years ago
4 likes

I don't get how the drivers can be "Freelance". Can they deliver for other companies? - I'm guessing not. Are they riding in liveried jackets provided by the company? - Yes Are they solely carrying out work for the company? - Yes

I just don;t understand how this counts as being self-employed.

 

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darrenwinfield | 8 years ago
0 likes

one of them went passed me last week on his phone texting! In heavy rush hour London traffic!

 

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Colin Peyresourde | 8 years ago
1 like

I would say that they need training. It's quite obvious that some do not have a clue.

The infrastructure is not changing anytime soon and so they need to know how to be safe. At present most of them appear to be a liability.

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bobbinogs replied to Colin Peyresourde | 8 years ago
2 likes
Colin Peyresourde wrote:

I would say that they need training. It's quite obvious that some do not have a clue.

The infrastructure is not changing anytime soon and so they need to know how to be safe. At present most of them appear to be a liability.

 

Yepp, I agree with this.  I was driving behind one of these riders only the other day and watched open mouthed as he weaved in and out of the traffic, up and off the pavement where it suited and then he sailed straight through a major crossroads whilst the lights were clearly red.  How he survived riding on just that one road was a mystery.  I kind of think that at some point his luck will run out and it won't be pleasant for anyone involved.

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Kim | 8 years ago
4 likes

Training is not the answer, making the roads safer is, and while I don't condone those cycling without lights, the use of lights between sunset and sunrise is a legal requirement, the use of helmets is not. Comments about helmets, earphones and filtering through traffic, none of these is illegal, they are just part of the victim blaming mentality, which should be stopped.

It is far better to have people on bike doing these sort of deliveries that moped riders with L-plates who are a clear danger to themselves and others.

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hampstead_bandit | 8 years ago
1 like

Their moped and bicycle riders in London are shockingly badly behaved, real amateurs. See their bicycle delivery riders every day riding without lights, wearing headphones, riding one handed navigating with smart phone, through red lights, against one way traffic, up onto pavement...

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brooksby | 8 years ago
5 likes

If the delivery guys are freelance then Deliveroo doesn't have a responsibility to provide helmets and lights, but I would have thought that it does have a responsibility to ensure that its riders comply with the law (ie. No lights = not street legal = no job).

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StuInNorway | 8 years ago
5 likes

How long does it take to organise lights ? Send message to all riders that lights are required, and any rider found outside daylight hours without will be removed from the list of riders. Give them a maximum price, or preferred light type from a national chain such as Halfords and tell them to submit receipt with next payclaim, and pay it. It is ultimately the riders responsibility to ride within the law, offering to pay for lights is simply a sweetner to encourage them to do so.

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gazza_d | 8 years ago
5 likes

If they expect the employee to supply own bike, then I'd expect them to have lights as well as a basic legal requirement at the appropriate times.

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EddyBerckx | 8 years ago
5 likes

Can they train their moped riders too? You know, not to ride like dicks?*

 

*not all of them obviously, but some...

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Beefy | 8 years ago
4 likes

Is there really a need for training? If there is shouldn't all cyclist be trained? What next cycling  test for all? I think perhaps a way fot cycle trainers to make more money from the poor riders who are already being ripped off with poor pay. However, they should say no lights, no work. Surley helmets would make the riding more dangerous 

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