Riding Through the Storm: Inside the Lives of Bangalore’s Food Delivery Workers
Image Source: The Hindu
Whether it’s the morning rush hour or midnight cravings, they maneuver through congested traffic at sunrise or sunset, rain or shine. Food delivery riders are now an indispensable sight in urban India, sporting company-branded jerseys and carrying bulky thermal bags. These riders are the backbone of the gig economy in Bangalore, the nation’s tech hub and the epicenter of the “instant convenience” culture. However, there is a tale of weariness, financial instability, and invisibility hidden behind each order delivery notification.
“We ride rain or shine. However, our rights are not upheld; only the hot food is delivered.”
– A food delivery worker in Bangalore Hulimavu
Food delivery workers work tirelessly to get you your warm food delivered on time at your place and even faster than what you assumed they would deliver it in. Today the gig economy is a major part of India, and it is severely underpaid, whereas in other countries the gig economy is considered a valuable tool and workers are paid fairly when compared to Indian gig workers, who even deliver the food despite the weather conditions being harsh and even unsuitable for us to go out. These workers are supposed to work to get your orders on time for just a tiny amount.
Food delivery apps claim fast service, but the clock is ticking toughest for two-wheeler riders. They are compensated by a dynamic incentive system in which their income varies with the number of orders delivered, the hour of the day, and surge hours. However, as a 2022 Centre for Internet and Society (CIS) report discovered, the majority take home less than ₹20,000 per month after fuel and maintenance costs are deducted — less than Bangalore’s living wage.
These workers are not “employees” but “partners,” a designation that favors platforms by circumventing legal requirements. No provident fund. No paid time off. No medical coverage. No regular hours.
When the Sky Turns Against You: The Impact of Bangalore’s Weather on Food Delivery Workers
Bangalore weather is notoriously fickle. Sunshine can give way to a monsoon rain in minutes. For cyclists, that translates into riding over slippery roads, avoiding potholes covered in muddy water, and trying to keep food hot while they themselves are wet through.
During heavy rain, some apps even halt deliveries from some outlets in the name of safety. This might sound overcautious, but the truth is that riders can be online for hours and not receive a single order, and that means zero earnings, slippery roads, greater risk of accidents, soggy orders and bad customer feedback, higher risk of illness due to prolonged exposure, hours lost without pay when apps halt deliveries.
Fairwork India’s 2022 ratings discovered that no prominent platform in Bangalore provided shelter spaces or waiting areas for workers when there was bad weather. They’re mostly huddled under shop awnings or petrol pump canopies, waiting for the rain and the orders to come back.
The Hidden Cost of Ratings: Ratings and Their Impact on Customers
Speed is rewarded and lateness is punished. However, inclement weather or traffic can contribute to delays that the riders incur on their dime. A partly warm pizza or the wrong placement of a package meant for their client, sometimes due to incorrect GPS pins, meant poor customer ratings. Ratings allow a rider to get more orders or incentive bonuses.
A 2021 Economic & Political Weekly article noted the mental cost of the system: round-the-clock surveillance, emotional stress from abusive customer comments, and a lack of break times for rest result in burnout.
In spite of the ease of isolation of gig work, riders have managed to resist. Organized WhatsApp groups and tiny unions have emerged, enabling workers to exchange tips, protest abrupt pay reductions, or organize boycotts. But the stakes are high. Riders who fight back have been deactivated from apps without notice.
A 2023 report by Azim Premji University points out that the scattered, “self-employed” nature of gig work deprives workers of bargaining rights. Organizing is not easy where each rider is monitored individually and set against each other to get orders. For most delivery riders, the math does not quite work out. Even working 12–14 hours a day, most make ₹15,000 to ₹20,000 a month, finds the Centre for Internet and Society (CIS). Subtract fuel, bicycle maintenance, and phone data charges from take-home pay and it’s as low as ₹12,000. Bangalore’s projected living wage for a sole adult is closer to ₹22,000–₹25,000 monthly without including dependents, urban rent in high-cost districts of the city, or healthcare costs. The economic burden is augmented by health hazards, since riders are compelled to continue working during rains. Sudden drops in temperature and cold gusts are part of Bangalore’s day-to-day weather pattern. Not only do these heighten the odds of accidents, but chronic diseases too result from them, which are hardly affordable by the riders to treat.
India’s gig economy is anticipated to reach ₹2 lakh crore by 2029 (NITI Aayog). But unless it goes hand in hand with protections, equitable pay, health benefits, secure resting places, and weather-appropriate shields, it threatens to be built on systemic exploitation.
Even though the gig economy is just going to rise day by day, the government doesn’t mandate any specific rules for such workers. Where equal pay for women is asked, it should also be asked for fair pay for such workers who work tirelessly and aren’t paid enough and, at the end of the day, are struggling to make ends meet.
About Authors: Ojaswi Gupta and Vasundhra Sambyal are second-year students pursuing a Bachelor of Arts in Media and Journalism at the Department of Media Studies, Christ (Deemed to be University), Bannerghatta Road Campus, Bengaluru. With a keen interest in storytelling and contemporary media practices, they aim to explore the intersections of journalism, society, and culture through their academic and creative work.
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