Does food app's 'climate surge pricing' help drivers beat the heat?

When Vietnam hits 35°C, customers have to pay extra

Working in bad weather conditions can be tough on delivery drivers, especially in the hot summer months. Bloomberg

As a heatwave engulfed northern and central Vietnam this month, customers reaching for their phones to order food or a ride on the Grab app learnt they would have to pay a surcharge.

The extra fee, applied when the temperature hits 35°C, came months after the South-East Asian platform introduced a rainy-weather fee in Vietnam.

"Working under such bad weather conditions can be tough on our drivers and delivery partners. We want to ensure they are fairly compensated for it," a Grab representative told the Thomson Reuters Foundation.

In Hanoi and Ho Chi Minh City, the surcharge is 5,000 Vietnamese dong ($0.21) for Grab's motorcycle taxi, and food and grocery deliveries, and 3,000 dong for its quick delivery service.

A delivery driver works during rising temperatures in Vietnam. Getty

Nguyen Tuan, a Grab driver in Ho Chi Minh City, said the additional payment gave him and his colleagues an incentive, because they had to work regardless of weather conditions.

"If I don't work, where do I get money to eat? I make a living day by day," said Mr Tuan, who works for several hours a day as a food delivery and motorcycle-taxi driver.

App companies offering delivery and ride-hailing services have come under increased scrutiny for their planet-heating emissions linked to traffic congestion and packaging.

But there has been little discussion of how riders and drivers are dealing with extreme weather, as they often work long hours, waiting at street corners and outside restaurants for orders, and have limited access to medical care.

Only now is the issue starting to grab the public's attention as climate change brings more frequent and intense heatwaves and floods around the world, raising questions about the health impacts for the must vulnerable in the labour force.

When it's too hot to walk

India, which is estimated to have more than 7.5 million gig workers, was hit by several heatwaves in April and May, with temperatures of 55°C to 50°C recorded in parts of the country.

In May, a series of tweets from Mumbai resident Parizad Baria-Unwalla went viral as she described finding out that her food order was delayed because the delivery worker was walking to her home from the restaurant.

"It is a summer afternoon in Mumbai and the restaurant was 4.5km away. This is absolutely inhumane," she wrote, as she appealed to the Swiggy platform to get him a taxi or an auto rickshaw, and offered to pay for the transport.

Dozens weighed in, with one user saying they stopped ordering from Swiggy after a delivery worker cycled at least 5km to their home at noon.

Swiggy did not respond to a request for comment.

"Gig workers in India have no protections because they are not recognised as workers, and hence don't fall under the occupational health and safety rules," said Rikta Krishnaswamy, a representative of the All India Gig Workers' Union.

While several app companies increase prices during rain, that is more due to heavy demand, she said. Few compannies make similar concessions in hot weather.

Zomato pays riders an extra fee for deliveries in the rain. Reuters

"The workers are not even allowed to go into restaurants to pick up orders or get a drink of water, or use the washroom to freshen up. Meanwhile, companies are pushing more of their workers to cycle as part of their ESG drive," she said.

Zomato, another Indian platform, delivered nearly a fifth of its food orders by bicycle in the financial year to March 2022, according to its Environmental, Social and Governance report.

Zomato pays riders an extra fee for deliveries in the rain, and reduces the distance they have to travel, a company representative said.

During the recent heatwaves in India, the company set up refreshment centres in several cities for riders to rest between deliveries and get free cold drinks, the spokesperson added.

Rising risks

Demand for gig work has surged in recent years with the growth in e-commerce and the so-called "platformisation" of work, with advocates saying it offers both sides greater freedom and flexibility. The pandemic further boosted demand.

But critics say it exploits workers who have few other choices, and that it undercuts hard-won labour rights, with gig workers in poorer nations largely treated as casual labour.

Heat stress occurs at temperatures above 35°C in high humidity, according to the International Labour Organisation. Heatstroke can occur if body temperature rises above 40°C.

In the UAE, where summer temperatures can top 45°C, delivery workers take a mandatory break from 12.30pm to 3pm, between June 15 and September 15, introduced to protect labourers from the "risks of exposure to high temperatures".

Where labourers have to work during these hours, employers must provide cold drinking water, first-aid kits, cooling facilities and shaded rest areas.

Similarly in India, while several states have adopted heat action plans that recommend minimal outdoor activity during the hottest hours of the day, this is not an option for gig workers.

Exposure to extreme heat can have adverse health impacts, and also carries an increased risk of injury or lapses in concentration, said Jaya Dhindaw, programme director for urban development, planning and resilience at WRI India, a think-tank.

"Platform workers will be especially susceptible to this," she said. "However, strategies like a hot-weather surcharge should not be used as a way to exploit workers and drive them to deliver under dangerous or unsafe circumstances."

Meanwhile, in Vietnam, on a public Facebook group of Grab drivers in Ho Chi Minh City, with more than 51,000 members, there were dozens of comments on the heatwave surcharge.

In one post that has garnered more than 300 likes and more than 100 comments, a member said that of the additional fee of 5,000 Vietnamese dong, drivers only get 3,600 dong, while Grab gets the rest for "sitting around doing nothing".

Tan Giang, a Grab user in southern Vietnam, said he would be happy to pay the surcharge if it benefited drivers 100 per cent.

"As a customer I support that because it is their sweat and tears," he said.

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  Abu Dhabi Police have introduced new rules for delivery riders in the emirate. EPA

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  The box the delivery riders have on the pillion must be 50 centimetres in width, length and height. Victor Besa / The National.

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  The edges of the delivery box must be covered in reflective material with no sharp edges allowed. Victor Besa / The National

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  Writing on the box must be clearly visible from at least 20 metres away. Chris Whiteoak / The National

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  The box must be made of fibreglass and must have an opening at the front for easy access. Photo: Deliveroo

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  The box must be fixed to the bike's saddle or rear rack or basket. AP