It is past 10 p.m. and a bylane in Kotla Mubarakpur is almost deserted, other than a nondescript building, which is a hive of activity: riders carrying large bags zip towards the entrance of the mini-store where groceries are packed and arranged in plastic crates ready to be picked up.
The riders leave as fast as they come. Some honk restlessly, pick up the bags and ride-off without losing time. A few ride at a normal speed. There is an atmosphere of urgency at what is called the ‘dark store’.
“I don’t stop at signals. The electric bikes are not stopped by the traffic police,” said Sam*, 22, a delivery agent waiting outside the building, which is one of the many stores of Zepto, a 10-minute delivery platform, in the city.
“I have been lucky; but some other riders have met with accidents and fortunately escaped with minor injuries,” he said.
Occupational hazards
With 10-minute delivery apps gaining traction in the city, scores of delivery agents, who pull 10-12 hour shifts, are putting themselves at risk to meet the tight deadlines.
Six delivery agents working with two such platforms – Blinkit and Zepto – told The Hindu about the risk of accidents in their jobs that they negotiate apart from depleting incomes, soaring fuel prices and the daily pressures in their professional and domestic lives.
As this reporter visited a store each, belonging to the two platforms, the dangers of rash driving also came to the fore.
Outside, a dark store of Blinkit in Defence Colony, this reporter saw many delivery agents riding on the wrong side of the lane hurrying to deliver orders.
Unreported accidents
“Many accidents happen and go unreported. I too met with one on the Defence Colony road a month back. A cyclist suddenly appeared from the bylane and I dashed into him. Luckily both of us escaped unhurt,” said Manohar*, a delivery agent in his thirties.
He said that the agents have to rush to deliver on time as the store manager asks them to try and deliver in 10 minutes.
“But our money is not deducted if we don’t deliver in 10 minutes,” he added.
There’s pressure on the delivery agents to hurry as they get paid based on the number of deliveries they make.
Official response
When contacted, Zepto said that there was only one accident recorded for every 1.3 crore km travelled on an average by Zepto delivery agent, which was less than accidents met by an average person on a motorcycle. Also, Zepto said, its delivery partners travel at speeds of less than 15 km/hr.
But Zepto did not respond to specific questions on rash driving by delivery agents and riders on electric scooters not following traffic rules. “As of April 2, 2022, we have updated weekly rate cards for our delivery partners across India, taking into account the rise in petrol prices,” Zepto said in a statement.
Blinkit did not respond to queries.
Scrolling through a WhatsApp group of riders, a Blinkit delivery agent showed a photo of another agent whose leg was swollen after he met with an accident while making a delivery last week.
Mr. Manohar said that the company has also increased the radius of the area they are required to cover now. “If it is a little far, then we get 30 minutes to deliver,” he said.
Zaid*, who has been working for close to two years with Blinkit, said he gets paid less than what he was getting earlier. “Earlier, we used to get ₹50 per order. Now, it is ₹25 per order during normal hours and ₹32 per order during peak hours,” he said.
Two more riders who work for Blinkit, endorsed Mr. Zaid’s claims. They said after a couple of accidents happened over a month ago, they were told delivery of goods in 10 minutes was “not a must.”
“However, we were told to try and deliver in 10 minutes to areas that are close by,” Mr. Zaid said.
Shaikh Salauddin, National General Secretary of The Indian Federation of App-based Transport Workers (IFAT), claimed accidents were on the rise due to the 10-minute delivery scheme.
Risking lives
“Food and groceries are not emergency items like medicines or ambulance that they have to reach within the short stipulated time. Why are we risking lives to get maggi or atta delivered in 10 minutes?” he asked
“I’m sure that in the future these services will be provided with the help of drones. Till then, we should value human lives and not treat them like robots,” he added.
(*Names have been changed to protect identities)
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