EASI food delivery drivers cause chaos in Box Hill city centre

Fast-food delivery drivers have been known to cause chaos in inner-city areas, but now shoppers at an eastern Melbourne foodie hub say they fear for their safety as scooter riders look at their phones and illegally drive down a busy mall.

A fast-food delivery driver uses a pedestrian crossing in Box Hill’s centre.

Fast-food delivery scooter riders are causing chaos at an eastern suburbs mall and surrounding roads as they weave in and out of traffic, narrowly missing pedestrians.

Worried commuters want the brakes put on the dangerous behaviour, claiming the riders constantly break the law and drive while looking at their phones.

The biggest culprits, they say, are motorbike riders working for EASI, which bills itself as Australia’s “No. 1 Asian food delivery App”.

Commuters are fed up with EASI delivery bikes like these using the footpath.

Simone Kelso, who passes through the Box Hill Central shopping centre mall on her daily commute, said she saw delivery drivers breaking road rules everyday.

“It needs to be stopped,” she said.

“I’m worried that a pedestrian is going to get run over by them.

“They ride across the crossing among the pedestrians looking at their phones.”

She said the riders — who use motorbikes, scooters and bikes — were weaving between pedestrians on the footpaths and crossings.

“I’ve yelled at them.”

Ms Kelso said no one had made any attempt to stop them.

“Who’s responsible here?”

The delivery drivers speed through the Box Hill Central shopping centre mall, where they wait to pick up food orders.

She said she had seen police witness the illegal behaviour without reacting.

“They’re not stopping them,” she said.

“The police need to start fining them.”

People have taken to social media to report their near-misses with the delivery drivers, and frustration with the lack of regulation.

Lauren Innes said she nearly drove into a cyclist working for EASI at 7am one day.

“I turned out of a street and they were riding down the middle of the wrong side of the road,” she said.

Another Facebook user said: “They always ride looking at their phones … this really does need to be policed. There will be an accident.”

A fast-food delivery driver in Box Hill.

Victoria Police spokeswoman Lisa Beechey told Whitehorse Leader police were aware of the issue and had received “a small number of complaints”.

“We proactively patrol our entertainment precincts, and have met with the council to seek a solution which would see motorbikes, bikes and scooters off our footpaths,” she said.

Ms Beechey said police would continue to monitor the situation and take action where appropriate.

Whitehorse Council general manager corporate services Peter Smith confirmed the council was aware of the problem and had been “in discussions” with Box Hill police.

“The police are actively enforcing any breaches detected,” he said.

Mr Smith said the council and police had talked to Box Hill Central’s management about an alternative location for the delivery bikes to stand — rather than in the mall — while they waited to collect deliveries.

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EASI public relations manager Kitty Lu said the company had a no-tolerance policy for “inappropriate public behaviour which includes driving on the footpaths, across pedestrian crossing and through Box Hill Mall”.

But she said as EASI used freelance delivery partners, it was “sometimes difficult to detect and control their actions” and the company therefore welcomed any feedback on its drivers.

She said EASI was investigating claims about drivers’ behaviour since being contacted by Whitehorse Leader.

“Immediate investigation and remedy shall be taken,” she said.

Ms Lu said drivers used by EASI were required to first pass a safety test.

Uber Eats was contacted for comment.

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