Deliveroo tackles concerns with rider safety panel

The food delivery company will convene a meeting with hundreds of riders submitting their ideas for safety reform.

Ed McManus is the Australian managing director of Deliveroo. Aaron Francis/The Australian

Food delivery platform Deliveroo will convene a rider safety advisory panel, with hundreds of riders submitting ideas for the company to implement as winter weather begins to bite.

The company’s local boss Ed McManus said that throughout May and June, Deliveroo will roll out a Winter Rider Safety Campaign in a bid to encourage riders to prioritise safety at all times, particularly during the winter months as conditions become unpredictable.

The national campaign will include weekly themed communications, safety kit bundles, safety videos, educational events and a new safety podcast, on top of free personal injury and income protection insurance.

It comes after 264 riders submitted applications with ideas for safety initiatives that Deliveroo could implement, with a shortlist then voted on by Deliveroo riders nationally and from there a final ten were selected.

Mr McManus said many of these ideas informed the winter safety program, such as training and resources for vehicle maintenance and first aid, as well as high visibility reflective stickers which were included in safety kits distributed to riders.

The ideas will be explored further in virtual panel meetings across the year and finally at a face-to-face workshop in September with Deliveroo company executives, he said. It will be the second such panel since 2019.

“When we’re speaking with riders, they are telling us about road quality and access to cycling infrastructure among many other safety issues,” Mr McManus said.

A Food delivery rider pictured in the Sydney CBD. Picture: NCA NewsWire / Damian Shaw

“The Winter Rider Safety Campaign will provide educational events and resources to ensure they are equipped with the best possible information and tools to stay safe on the roads. We are very grateful to the various partners who have come on board to support this initiative.

“The Rider Safety Advisory Panel platform enables riders to have independent representation and a voice on an issue that is absolutely paramount to both Deliveroo and Deliveroo riders. As a result of our first panel in 2019, we launched the online Rider Safety Hub with a range of safety content and safety stickers for the rider network nationally. We look forward to introducing further measures with the guidance and support of this year’s rider led panel.”

Five food delivery riders across different companies died on Australian roads in the three months of 2020, sparking calls for more to be done.

Mr McManus pointed to a recent Deliveroo Rider Satisfaction survey which found 82 per cent of Deliveroo riders say they are satisfied with safety when riding with Deliveroo and 83 per cent are satisfied with their kit.

Hassan Danial, member of the 2021 Rider Safety Advisory Panel and trained mechanical engineer, is a Deliveroo driver in Geelong between his job working with children in before and after school care.

“I’ve been driving with Deliveroo for over two years, and being a part of the Rider Safety Advisory Panel means I can use my experience to enhance the safety of current and future delivery riders,“ he said.

“Being part of the panel has been a great experience and I look forward to meeting other panel members along with the Deliveroo team in Melbourne to share our experiences to further enhance rider safety.

“I advocated for the first aid course along with vehicle safety checks. They are doing a webinar on first aid in collaboration with The Australian Red Cross during the Winter Safety Campaign. This benefits the safety and wellbeing of the community. When you have first aid, you never know who is going to need it so what we are doing is improving road safety for the general public as well.”

The development comes after a landmark Fair Work Commission ruling, which classified a Deliveroo rider – Diego Franco – is an employee of the company rather than an independent contractor.

A Deliveroo spokesman said the company plans to appeal the decision.

“We do not accept the premise upon which the decision was taken and do not believe this reflects how Deliveroo riders work with the company in practice,” the spokesman said.

“We are confident that riders are engaged as independent contractors. Riders have the absolute freedom to decide whether, when and where they work, and if they do go online they can decide how long to work and can freely reject any offer of work offered to them. Riders don’t need to provide personal service – they can and do use delegates to complete deliveries. Riders can and do work with multiple platforms, including competitors, at the same time – as Mr Franco did himself.

“Riders frequently tell us that the freedom that comes with self-employment is the key reason why they choose Deliveroo, and we will appeal this decision to protect those freedoms.”