Sadly, in November this year, research by climate charity Possible and the IWGB union – a trade union that advocates for workers’ rights and safe working conditions – found that 60% of couriers ‘always or constantly’ feel at risk or in danger on the roads when they are working.
Fast forward to today and it’s estimated that there are at least 20,000 food delivery riders in London with nearly 10% of trips on inner London’s cycle lanes being taken by these types of couriers.
After spending years working in retail with no opportunities to progress, I made the switch to working for delivery apps back in 2016 as I thought it would be a way of taking some control over my own life and career.
We need better and more cycle lanes to make our journeys safer so that we won’t always be competing with cars, vans, and buses while working.
In September 2022, I became chair of the Couriers and Logistics Branch of the IWGB union because I wanted to fight for all couriers who have had to contend with poor, unsafe working conditions, low pay, and abuse from their workplaces.
