What made you sign up to become a Deliveroo Rider?
Just before the summer, as the weather was starting to pick up I noticed a few riders around town and I just said why not! I love cycling and Deliveroo accommodates that so well.
What’s involved in being a Deliveroo Rider?
Very simply, picking up food and drink from restaurants around the city and delivering them to the customers with a smile on your face.
Describe a typical day as a Deliveroo Rider.
For me its all about getting good sleep and starting my day early. Porridge every morning, it’s like rocket fuel to me. I’m on the per drop system which pays an amount that can be different depending on if you’re working weekdays, weekends or mornings. I prefer per drop to per hour because I earn more when I focus on working weekends and evenings. I typically work 9-11 hours Friday to Sunday averaging 25 orders per day. Sundays are always very busy so usually I can get 30+ done. When doing this I start at around 10am because I like getting out when the air is still crisp and the roads are quiet. Morning orders also give a better drop fee. From midday on its business as usual, a lot more restaurants are open so there’s a lot more orders. From 6pm is when it’s busiest, everyone is ordering dinner and snacks so I find it worthwhile to work until 9 or 10. By that time all I can think about is food so I log out and cruise home.
What’s the best part of the job?
When the sun is out and it’s a beautiful day, it never feels like work. Taking in the sights and sounds around the city can be visceral. I love the freedom Deliveroo offers.
Some days I really can’t be bothered to get out of bed so I don’t, but mostly I just love cycling and being able to make a living from it is just so rewarding.
What’s the hardest part of the job?
Some days can just be slow when you want them to be busy, I’ll sit around waiting and thinking of all the things I could be doing and how easily I could just log out. Stress can build up fast when you’re tired and small things can frustrate you. It has happened that I’ll have a goal for the day for a certain amount of drops and I get a puncture with no repair kit or pump and it just kind of ruins my day. But I just tell myself tomorrow is another day let’s forget about what happened and stay positive.
What traits are ‘must haves’ to be a good rider?
I think patience is important, sometimes an hour might go by without an order or you might be getting an order an hour for a couple of hours and you can’t do anything but wait out the slump. It picks up in the evening but it can still be demoralising. If you plan on doing this full time, having discipline is important, nobody is telling you to stay which is nice but it makes it so easy to just cut a day short for very little reason.
Apply to be a Deliveroo Rider today.
Any advice for people considering becoming a Deliveroo Rider?
It’s not a race from the restaurant to the customer, be quick but not like a headless chicken.
How do you unwind after work?
Cold shower and stretching has become a ritual to me. Then a big bowl of rice, beans and veg and zone out watching Twitch stream or Netflix while finding more food to munch on.
What’s your favourite meal on Deliveroo?
Chopped do really nice salad bowls, a lot of bang for your buck I feel.
Think you’ve got what it takes to be a Deliveroo Rider? Apply today.
