Did you notice that your food has been arriving much later compared to previously after you placed your order on the app?
According to the Malaysian E-Hailing Riders’ Association, this is due to e-hailing riders leaving the industry following the government’s move to reopen all economic activities as the country transitions to endemicity.
“My guess would be about a 10% drop for orders. For riders, many have left, around 25%,” said its vice president Abdul Hakim Abdul Rani, Malay Mail reported.
He added that those who left went back to their old jobs.
When asked if there is a decline in riders’ income, Abdul Hakim denied it, saying “So there is not much effect on the earning capacity of the current riders even though there are fewer orders, but also fewer riders competing with one another.”
“Now we are more worried about traffic accidents involving the riders. There are now more vehicles on the road, right?”
“So we’ve been pushing for riders to take up the government’s subsidised Self-employment Social Security Scheme, to protect them. It costs less than RM50 a year for certain plans,” he added.
Meanwhile, a rider, Muhammad Izzat Mansor, who works with various companies like Grab and Lalamove, revealed that there has been a “slight” drop in orders, especially during non-peak hours.
“Riders too have dropped but maybe by a very small amount,” he said.
Another rider, Khairul, said those who are still working full-time as e-hailing riders may not feel the decrease in orders. He explained that this is because delivery service providers such as Grab and Foodpanda use a grading system, where those who work more often get a higher priority in receiving orders.
“For me, I have reduced doing Grab,” he added.
Khairy also said he recently got offered back his old job as a photographer, though under a contract basis, and he started just three weeks ago.
“So when we go on Grab, we can see that sometimes we have to wait longer to get orders. But sometimes it’s okay too,” he said.
At the same time, Foodpanda also commented on the matter and it said, “Demand and supply fluctuations are common for the business, factoring in various aspects such as the pandemic.”
It added that they have begun partnering with restaurants to offer deals on its app to walk-in customers, in anticipation of people preferring to dine in at stores.
“Numerous efforts are being taken, such as running regular campaigns with deals and discounts to ensure deliveries and pick-up are accessible and affordable for customers while continuing to provide a steady source of income for vendors and delivery partners,” it said.
