I wish that the customers saw us as human beings and not machines that get them food

- Parijat Joshi

“I wish that the customers saw us as human beings and not machines that get them food at superfast speed,” said Vaishnav who works at food delivery app Swiggy in Pune.

The food delivery apps and their riders have found a sudden attention from the world of social media after Jabalpur-based Amit Shukla cancelled his order as Zomato (another food delivery app) wouldn’t give him a Hindu rider to deliver the food.

As he posted about this so-called ordeal that he had gone through on social media, the public lashed out at his insensitivity without holding back, and Zomato stood with its rider stating, “Food has no religion. It itself is a religion.”

While this incident might seem one-of-a-kind, it’s not really rare for Muslim riders to tolerate unwanted remarks and rude behaviour without any fault of theirs.

“I was once delivering food in a big society in Karvenagar. The problem here was not the customer, but the watchman. He told me to get rid of my beard as I look like a terrorist. I was extremely hurt, but decided not to escalate the issue,” said Swiggy rider Sajid Khan.

Sajid came to Pune from Jharkhand to pursue Bachelors in Computer Application (BCA), and stayed back for work. Delivering food for Swiggy is one of his part-time jobs.

“The Zomato incident disturbed me terribly. The work that we do is no less than God’s work. We take food to people’s doorstep. Our religion does not count here. It should not matter. Thankfully, I have never encountered such a customer till date, but now, who knows?” Sajid said.

_{Credits- Livemint.}

However this is not the only discrimination that your food delivery guys have to face on a daily basis. Their struggle, each and every day, is to be seen as a human being who has the right to err. While Zomato’s stand against the insensitive customer has won over the internet, the fight against discrimination and untoward treatment by the customers is the daily struggle for the delivery personnel working with the food delivery services.

“City roads can be unpredictable. Sometimes we deliver food much before the given time, but we do not necessarily receive any appreciation for that. But slightly delay  the delivery one single time, and all hell breaks loose over over us. Customers complain, shout at us rudely, refuse to give us the rating that could earn us a little extra money. It’s like we are not allowed to make a single mistake,” Vaishnav said.

With rains, he added, the situation has become even worse.

“The customers know about the rains, they know that the potholes and the ongoing work of Metro in Pune add to the traffic congestion, and make it impossible to reach within the given time. Traffic is the reason people do not want to step out of their homes, and yet, when it comes to the food delivery guys, everything is forgotten,” Vaishnav said.

“All we ask for is a little compassion,” the rider sighed. Vaishnav, hailing from shirdi, is working at Swiggy part-time to support his Engineering course.

“Delivering food on time on a rainy day is difficult, sometimes dangerous. However, a smile from the customers and of course, good ratings for our service make it all better. But some people cannot even afford that,” said Vaibhav Kamble who delivers food for the food delivery service Zomato in Pune.

While Zomato was seen taking a stand for its riders on Twitter, in reality, Vaishnav said that the companies do not always support their clients as much.

“Our job makes us susceptible to the risk of accidents on duty. But when it comes to insurance, we can only avail it at the particular hospitals that the company mentions. Are we supposed to find the company-approved hospital when a rider meets with an accident, or the nearest one? I know riders whose hospital bills were not covered under insurance because of this,” he said.

And yet, in a bid to reach their customers in time to save those Rs 30-40 that they earn after each order, the riders are ready to risk their lives.

“Most of us whom I know have come to Pune in search of education and livelihood. With no other financial backing, each penny we make here counts. When a customer cancels the order due to delay, money is deducted from our salaries. A bad review can cost us the incentive for a whole day. For the customers, it’s a question of a single meal, for us, it’s a whole day’s income,” Vaibhav who works with Zomato said.

Having said that, he did not fail to mention that for each bad customer, he does have good experiences as well to hold on to. “We do get grateful customers who appreciate our efforts, offer us water, and sometimes if we get lucky, a very generous tip. These are the times when it all feels worth the struggle,” Vaibhav said. Originally from Kolhapur, Vaibhav has come to Pune to live his dream of acting. While studying externally, and pursuing theatre at the same time, he works as a delivery boy for Zomato to support himself through this passion.

In cities crippled with rains, these delivery agents risk it all making way for the food from the restaurants reach our homes. All one could do is greet them with a smile, and offer them at least a glass of water, if not a good tip.

_{Parijat is a freelance journalist.}