Forget about giving tuition or waiting tables. These days, the part-time job of choice is being food delivery riders.

It involves plying Singapore’s roads, ferrying food or passengers to their destinations.

It’s easy to see why this kind of driver job in Singapore is so popular right now.

Thanks to technology, workers for companies like Deliveroo and Grab can work on an own-time-own-target basis.

No need to rush to be at work on time, fret about not getting enough shifts or scramble to re-schedule a missed tuition session.

All you need to do is activate the app whenever you feel like working, and off you go.

While more and more car owners now moonlight as Grab drivers, those who have motorcycles, bicycles or just their legs can still earn some spare cash as food delivery riders for the platforms that Singaporeans are becoming increasingly dependent on to feed them.

So what’s it really like becoming a food delivery rider for Deliveroo, Foodpanda, GrabFood?

HOW MUCH YOU CAN EARN AS A FOOD DELIVERY RIDER

HOW TO BECOME A GRABFOOD RIDER

GrabFood is the food delivery extension of private-hire Grab, but Grabfood riders don’t use cars, obviously.

The usual methods apply: motorcycle, bicycle or PMD (banned on footpaths from 5 Nov 2019).

Heck, you can even make deliveries on foot, although you shouldn’t expect to earn much doing that.

Of the four delivery services, GrabFood offers riders the most flexibility.

You don’t have to worry about sticking to shifts defined by the company, and can work as little as one hour a day.

You also get paid daily instead of bi-monthly or monthly.

GRABFOOD RIDER APP

The biggest advantage of the GrabFood app’s system is that you don’t need to book shifts ahead of time and can deliver on an ad hoc basis.

The downside is that there is no base hourly pay if you fail to get any orders.

GRABFOOD RIDER PAY

You are paid on a per-delivery basis, the price of the delivery being displayed on the app.

The base fee is $5 per trip, and surcharges will be added to that fee depending on the location and time.

Grabfood has Zone Booster Incentives where you can earn up to $3.50 per trip on top of base fares and Quest Incentives, where if you complete a certain number of trips, you get varying incentives.

Check out GrabFood’s incentive page for the latest incentives.

All things considered, expect to make about $6 to $10.50 per delivery.

You also have the chance to earn incentives if you manage to hit trip targets during certain periods (eg. 70 trips on weekdays within a week, or 45 trips during the weekend) You can also make claims for ERP charges.

HOW TO SIGN UP AS A GRABFOOD RIDER

Fill in this form on GrabFood’s rider page, complete the online training course, purchase your kit at one of their offices and start working.

HOW TO BECOME A DELIVEROO RIDER

Deliveroo is another of Singapore’s more visible delivery services, and operates in a similar manner to FoodPanda.

The biggest difference is that new Deliveroo food delivery riders are paid on a purely commission basis

That means that if you make zero deliveries, you make $0.

You can choose to make your deliveries on any mode of transport you wish, which means you’ll have to decide whether you wish to ride a motorbike, bicycle (tiring) or some other form of transport.

Note that e-bikes and electric scooters are banned effective 5 Nov 2019.

DELIVEROO RIDER APP

You will be asked to download an app which will display the available shifts.

You need to apply for the shift you want, and it will be assigned to you if available.

You won’t be able to work if you haven’t been assigned a shift.

Popular time slots are very sought after so you need to have fast fingers to chope the slot you want.

DELIVEROO RIDER PAY

The amount you can earn per delivery is indicated on the app, usually about $6 to $10 ($3 pick-up fee, $2 delivery fee, $X variable distance fee, plus incentives during peak times).

You can earn $1 to $2 more during peak hours between 11am to 2pm and 5pm to 9pm, and in certain locations.

You are also entitled to tips. Generally, delivering in the CBD earns you more tips than suburban areas.

There is also a minimum total delivery fee, which is set each month based on customer demand.

The current minimum total delivery fee as of 21 May 2019 is $5 per delivery.

Motorcycle riders can also make claims for ERP, petrol and parking. There’s also $1 extra for motorcycle riders.

Deliveroo also offers a $200 bonus for referring new riders, which is equivalent to making 40 deliveries, so make use of it if you have friends who’re interested.

For more details, visit Deliveroo’s page that gives an explanation of distance-based fees.

HOW TO SIGN UP AS A DELIVEROO RIDER

Create an account on Deliveroo’s rider site and they will give you more info.

You will have to make an in-person appointment at which you’ll be made to purchase a kit which includes that big square Deliveroo backpack.

You can either choose to pay in full before starting work or pay in installments to be deducted from your salary.

HOW TO BECOME A FOODPANDA RIDER

Foodpanda’s main distinguishing factor is that they can provide a motorbike if you have the requisite licence and don’t have your own.

They also pay a base hourly rate in addition to a commission for each delivery, which means riders are less likely to risk their lives by rushing like mad to make as many deliveries as possible.

If you don’t want to deliver by motorcycle, you can also use a bicycle.

E-scooters and PMDs are banned on footpaths from 5 Nov 2019.

FOODPANDA RIDER APP

You’ll need a smartphone with mobile data and possibly a power bank, as all your orders will be delivered via FoodPanda’s app.

You will sign up for shifts according to area.

All your deliveries during a shift will be confined to this area, however be warned that their definition of areas can be quite large so you might still end up riding fairly long distances.

FOODPANDA RIDER PAY

You pay will be split into two components. Motorcycle delivery riders can expect to earn a basic hourly pay of about $9, or $9.50 for those riding in the CBD, with an additional $5 for commission for every weekday delivery made, or $7 on weekends.

You can also claim for parking charges and ERP costs incurred.

Currently, Foodpanda is offering $550 sign-up bonus, which you will get if you:

• Achieve Quest incentives – $300
• Are referred by a friend – $250

HOW TO SIGN UP AS A FOODPANDA RIDER

Submit an online application via Foodpanda’s rider page. You will need to select an office for your appointment to pick up your kit, which includes that very recognisable pink Foodpanda backpack.

During your appointment at Foodpanda’s office (Kramat Lane), you will also go through an on-boarding training.

This article was first published in MoneySmart .