Worth it? Food delivery man earns $865 in 2 days, says it's not a job for everyone

He might have raked in an impressive dough while working in Singapore, but this Malaysian warned that his job might be too daunting for some.

On Dec 14, a Facebook user known as Billy Cane shared how he made $865.32 in earnings over just two days of work delivering food here.

The decision to be transparent and open came about when his friends began asking about his income while working for Foodpanda, Cane said.

"Being a food delivery rider is often seen as a menial job, but it's legitimate income in exchange for hard work," he added.

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According to a screenshot from the Foodpanda mobile app, Cane shared that he received $580.31 for the 70 orders he completed on Dec 10 and 11, and an additional $118 in incentives for completing 60 orders.

Delivering food with a car, Cane said he also made $17 from two tips, and $150 on a "we miss you" one-off payout. 

"If you are unemployed or your regular salary is not enough, food delivery is a part-time job that can fill your stomach and increase your income," he said in his post. 

Not for everyone

But in a subsequent Facebook post shared on Dec 14, Cane warned that being a food delivery rider is not for everyone.

A laborious job that requires strength and stamina, the man revealed that he worked more than 12 hours on Dec 11, from 8am to almost 9pm, to complete 36 orders.

Cane also detailed how he had to carry heavy objects – bags of rice and more than 20 bottles of 1.5-litre mineral water – as well as travelling long distances for long hours till his knees hurt for weeks.

Food delivery riders are also subjected to the occasional tongue lashings from merchants and customers, he shared, while adding how meals are settled at the side of the road.

There are also times where he would skip meals while working, Cane said. "There are still many reasons [on why being a delivery rider is tough], but I won't list them because it would [make the job] unattractive."

In the comments, several netizens are intrigued with Cane's earnings.

"More than 60 deliveries in two days? So impressive," one of them quipped, while the man replied that if he had worked harder, fulfilling 80 orders is possible.

When a netizen asked about the overheads, Cane replied that he incurred $2 for parking and used a total of 50 litres of petrol during that period. 

Delivery riders earning big bucks

Other food delivery riders have shared their impressive earnings in recent times.

In April 2022, a delivery rider claimed that he made $8,500 in one month.

When a photo of a calculation of his earnings was shared on social media, netizens began dissecting how he managed to achieve this feat.

One netizen attributed these high earnings to the rider juggling between three different food delivery apps.

And in April 2020, a GrabFood rider shared how he made around $5,000 in one month.

Speaking to the Straits Times then, 30-year-old Muhammad Alif Mohd Jasmin said that he did so by clocking 30 trips a day – fuelled by the goal of saving up for his wedding.

"I had a motivation to achieve a target," Alif said. 

'Worth it or not?' 

However, not all delivery riders are earning the dollar it seems. 

According to findings released by the Institute of Policy Studies (IPS) last month, 33.9 per cent – the largest proportion – of the 1,002 delivery riders surveyed reportedly earn between $1,000 and $1,999. 

While around 3.2 per cent make at least $5,000 a month, they did so by working longer hours and more likely to get into at least one accident that requires medical attention.

In the report titled Current realities, social protection and future needs of platform food delivery workers in Singapore, one rider named Max shared how earning a five-figure monthly salary from food delivery has its consequences.

The 26-year-old, who had to work 20 days straight for 12 to 16 hours daily, said: "The very day when I took a break, I'm very sick… So just normal fever. I had to rest for like four, five days.

"I [even] ended up in hospital [and] was in a coma for a few days… Is that worth it or not?"

chingshijie@asiaone.com

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