Delivery riders say it’s natural to push ahead to earn more despite safety risks
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Delivery riders made up the bulk of platform workers who had injuries in 2025.
ST PHOTO: LIM YAOHUI
- Singapore's delivery riders face high injury rates, according to a report on workplace health and safety.
- Riders cite customer expectations and the desire to fulfil more deliveries to earn more as reasons behind why they rush.
- A workgroup will explore solutions like detecting unsafe behaviour and incentivising safe practices, with commitment from Grab and Foodpanda, among others.
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SINGAPORE – Delivery riders say many of them are likely to continue to fulfil as many orders as possible in their push to earn more income, even as a work group has been formed to explore ways to improve their safety.
When Mr Leck Jun You, 41, became a delivery rider in 2018, he tried to fulfil more than 50 orders a day to maximise his earnings.
He rode his motorcycle for about 12 hours every day to rack up deliveries for weekly bonus payouts.
In 2020, he was involved in an accident that landed him with a fractured right hand and caused him to have a serious concussion.
Upon reflection, he felt as if he was putting his life at risk in the pursuit of money.
“Since earnings are piecemeal and based on each delivery, it’s only natural that riders try to take on more jobs and complete them as quickly as possible,” said Mr Leck.
This instinct comes with serious risks. In 2025, two delivery riders died and more than 60 suffered major injuries, which can lead to amputation and paralysis, according to a report released by the Ministry of Manpower (MOM) on March 25.
The annual workplace safety and health figures, which included non-fatal injury figures among platform workers for the first time, showed that delivery riders made up the bulk of such workers – out of 74 platform workers who had major injuries, 62 of them were making deliveries.
As for the 1,277 who had minor injuries, 763, or more than half, were delivery riders.
Those on two wheels were found to be more prone to injuries, the ministry said, prompting the formation of the work group, which was announced on March 25.
The initiative will bring together representatives from government agencies, platform operators, the National Trades Union Congress (NTUC) and platform work associations.
Describing the statistics as concerning, NTUC assistant secretary-general Yeo Wan Ling, who is also an adviser to three platform work associations, said on March 25: “NTUC has been telling platform companies to review their incentive schemes, because the welfare of workers cannot be the price of faster deliveries, longer hours or unsafe conditions.”
Legislation may not be enough to improve the situation, said delivery riders. Customer expectations would have to change, too.
While Mr Leck now does only about 10 deliveries a day, as he is no longer a full-time delivery rider, others still say they are often driven by financial incentives and customer expectations to complete jobs as quickly as possible.
One of them, Mr James Tan, 32, said riders are intrinsically motivated to make deliveries quickly to earn more.
“It is a bit like a game, where if you fulfil more deliveries, you can earn bonuses, too. So, of course, people will want to do things fast.”
At the same time, customers also expect their orders to be delivered quickly, he said, citing how people use delivery services for convenience and have become used to certain expectations.
“If you come home from work and order dinner, you would want it to get to you as soon as possible, right? If it comes late, you give a lower rating; so again, there’s pressure for us to be fast.”
Unless these expectations change, he thinks it is unlikely that riders will slow down. He added that he has had several close calls while making deliveries, typically in the rain.
Some solutions that the work group will explore include improving the detection and deterrence of unsafe road behaviour, as well as incentivising safe practices.
Delivery rider Luqmanul Hakim Othman, 28, said the formation of the work group is a step in the right direction, because the group will be able to get feedback from platform workers and have a better understanding of key issues. He pointed to other developments that were aimed at granting platform workers greater protections.
He cited the implementation of the Platform Workers Act on Jan 1, 2025, and how it provides coverage to such workers under the Work Injury Compensation Act for work-related accidents, as well as the setting up of a group comprising MOM, the Ministry of Transport, NTUC and Grab that same year to address challenges that platform workers face.
Delivery platforms Grab and foodpanda, which are part of the work group, said on March 25 that improving safety for platform workers is a collective effort, pledging their commitment to collaborate with different parties for a better outcome.
Some ways to do so include “strengthening awareness, promoting safe riding behaviours and improving platform features that encourage responsible road use”, said a foodpanda spokesperson.
The two operators already employ several safety measures, including the use of telematics, which enables them to monitor platform workers’ riding and driving habits, and provide feedback if unsafe practices are detected.
A Grab spokesperson said: “We are committed to working through the platform worker safety work group to raise standards across the industry and foster a culture of mutual care, as we continue to push for new ways to protect our partners and ensure everyone gets home safely.”
