Sunny Waseem* can often be spotted on his motorbike weaving through the Hong Kong traffic under the scorching sun with a food delivery bag.
But what goes unnoticed is the sweat, headaches, thirst and pressure to fulfil an order on time.
The 33-year-old delivery rider routinely works more than 12 hours daily, handling back-to-back orders during the busy lunch rush.
“Most of our working hours are during the very hot weather. So it really affects me. I feel exhaustion, an increase in sweat and shortness of breath,” said the full-time rider, who has six years of experience.
Waseem said that he had to take painkillers several times a week to relieve headaches caused by the heat. He felt he could not afford to take breaks in the shade because the food delivery platform’s algorithms would downgrade him, leading to a reduction in his income.
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A recent Greenpeace survey of 117 delivery workers from ethnic minority backgrounds found that more than 80 per cent reported experiencing heat-related illnesses during work.
“During extreme weather, outdoor workers bore the brunt because they had no choice but to continue doing laborious work … a lot of riders would just bite the bullet,” said Tom Ng Hon-lam, a campaigner at the green group.
About 100 survey respondents reported a surge in orders during hot and rainy days, as well as typhoons, with more than 70 per cent working under these extreme conditions.
In 2023, the government introduced a new three-tier warning system to reduce the risk of heatstroke among outdoor workers. Guidelines on heatstroke prevention were updated last year to make the system more practical for both employers and workers.
The green group said it hoped the government would consider establishing separate guidelines specifically addressing the needs of delivery workers.
According to a Census and Statistics Department report, Hong Kong has around 13,000 food platform delivery workers.
Riders or couriers are divided into different tiers. The top-tier earners are those who meet target delivery times and do not reject orders, according to Waseem. He said the “batch one” workers had priority in choosing shifts with the most orders.
“If I take a break for 15 minutes because I am afraid that I will have heatstroke, somehow I will be unable to work for Foodpanda for a whole week,” he said. “They will calculate how many minutes I was absent from the shift, which will result in a change in my batch.”
When Waseem was demoted from batch one to tier two or three, his daily earnings decreased from HK$1,200 (US$154) to around HK$800.
Following Deliveroo’s recent departure from Hong Kong, Waseem now works for Foodpanda and Keeta, which he described as “notorious” for penalising riders who did not meet their standards.
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Waseem does not dare to take breaks and risk being downgraded. He said he prepares a large water bottle and drinks ion-supply drinks to stay hydrated.
Mak Tak-ching, a member of the Riders’ Rights Concern Group, noted that while some outdoor cleaners and security guards were given equipment by their employers to stay cool during hot weather, delivery workers had to fend for themselves.
He called for greater long-term protection of riders’ rights through formal employee recognition.
Greenpeace also urged the platforms to consider riders’ needs, including providing heat protection clothing and portable fans or setting up rest stations with free water dispensers across the city.
Foodpanda said on Wednesday that it had never required couriers to deliver orders within a limited time frame.
“Couriers have the option to accept or pass on any of the dispatched orders, and we offer them the flexibility to take breaks during their shift – at any time and from any location,” the company said.
As for its batch system, the platform said the division was “determined by an aggregate of various performance components”, which meant passing on orders or taking breaks “may or may not affect a courier’s overall batch number”.
Keeta said it was committed to offering riders flexible schedules and had provided them with equipment such as raincoats and water jackets.
“The safety and well-being of our riders are our top priorities, and we encourage them to prioritise their well-being and take breaks as needed,” Keeta said.
*Name changed at interviewee’s request.
