Deliveroo and Just Eat and the like make UK cities creepy and miserable

[Pavementworrier]

Guys in balaclavas with no traceable identity (and often no right to work in the UK) racing around on electric bikes in the dark bringing shit cold food to fat lazy punters while cafes, bars and restaurants erode and hospitals fill up with diabetic foot merchants.

I wouldn't ban them but I'd make them treat every single takeaway bandit as a full employee with id checks, criminal responsibility, tax and employment rights.

And people who use them kind of make me sick.

@UserNumber56 well yes but we exactly what the OP is actually talking about.....

Yes but in my city there was a market supplied by fresh faced students on push bikes prior to them being put out of the market by faceless drones doing 40mph on illegal e-bikes. We can arrange delivery services in the UK without resorting to illegal workers.

"Remember the cars with the massive Dominos signs on the roof? The mopeds zipping about delivering pizzas? Ordering from the local chinese takeaway and having it brought to your door? These things have been around forever."

I think it depends whereabouts you live in the country and whether you're in a city, town or a more rural area.

Twenty years ago, none of what you describe (in the quotes above) existed in my area. Domino's arrived here 15 years ago and is still operating - and they still deliver in the cars with the big Domino on top.

One of the Chinese takeaways started doing deliveries about 12 years ago. None of the others did.

Just Eat partnered with some local eateries about 6 years ago and started offering very limited deliveries.

Deliveroo only became available here a few months ago.

We are not rural. I live in a very populated area in the south, only about 30 miles from London, but not in a town. The nearest small town is about 8 miles away.

There are modern slavery victims in many UK hotels, including the 5 star hotels.

Yet you and OP don’t seem to cate about them because they’re out of sight so out of mind.

You can’t create a need for services and then moan about the low paid people fulfilling that need.

What does fresh faced student mean? White?

And what does faceless drone mean? Black?

Students can still apply to be delivery drivers, no one has banned them.

Quite. This comment made me feel so uncomfortable on so many levels. Ageist/racist /classist

Yes, these people are proponents of invisible labour, where they rely on immigrants for low‑paid services (cleaning, caregiving, food delivery etc), but also want those immigrants to remain out of sight, excluded from public life, and to be invisible, so they only have to look at 'fresh faced' people.

Of course it isn't always possible. I think it's great that for those times that people haven't got to do without or be forced to leave their house, but I think these delivery companies have made people forget about any other option and overall it's breaking down community spirit.

edited to add
i guess in an ideal world people would still help each other out more, with deliveries left for more unusual situations. That wouldn't be a profitable business for the companies though.

You are totally missing the point that the PP made.

She doesnt want to ask for help, she manages it herself by utilising the services that you are slagging off.

So is it great that she can do that due to her (in your eyes) genuine need, or is it shit that (taking from various PP's) "lazy....overweight.....eating shit" people are using those services for reasons you have prejudged without knowing about?

Pick one because right now you sound like those rascists/ageist etc who say "Oh well not you, you are different" when called out on their predjudice.

Um excuse me? I haven't called anyone lazy, overweight or said anyone eats shit? Are you confusing me with someone else?

I don't like the atmosphere countless delivery drivers bring to my town, whilst people out socialising has seemingly dropped. The getting some Calpol delivered at 1am is an example of how invaluable the service can be, although my
point was people jump to paid help instead of asking friends/family.

So basically...

It's fine it became highly exploitative industry because it helps few people 🥰

(who could order groceries from normal supermarket deliveries)

Not at 2am when you have a poorly child in hospital you can't.

It was the only reason I ate something other than a nibble of toast during the early days when my son was critically unwell.

I'd be willing to bet that the 'poorly child in hospital', 'single parent needs calpol at 2 am' or 'disabled person unable to shop or cook for themselves' orders are vastly outnumbered by those for 'can't be arsed shopping or cooking so will order in' ones.

Either way, it's an exploitative, tax avoiding business model so I'm surprised so many on MN are happy to overlook this, it's rare to see these companies get the same vitriol seen from the 'I don't use Amazon or Temu' virtue signalling crowd.

Have a look and see if snappy shopper are in your area their much more reasonable for groceries for when your stuck and deliver

Some of us don't drive op and have no takeaways near us to walk to so I'm really sorry about that if it is so bothering to you lol ! 😂

Probably.

It doesn't take away how much they genuinely help people in those situations though or how much people would struggle without it in those situations.

There were always delivery drivers at the entrance of the children's hospital my son was at. Always.

Oh thank you! I shall take a look!

treat every single takeaway bandit as a full employee with id checks, criminal responsibility, tax and employment rights.

That would be a very good idea. Also restaurant staff. And Amazon delivery people. And anyone else in a 'gig economy' job, where the system is gamed by the employer so that you can't earn a living wage and your rights are severely curtailed.

Incidentally, can you provide the evidence that the food delivery people often have 'no right to work in the UK'? What do you mean by 'often'? The majority? How do you know? Are you counting heads or worked hours? Surely your objection - that they have no traceable ID, for instance - makes it impossible for you to say whether or not they have the right to work here.

And what do you mean by 'dodgy-looking'? What do you think people should wear on a scooter in the city at night in winter that would not be dodgy-looking?

I mean, unless it's not the clothes that you think look dodgy.....

Dodgy because the bike is illegal, no lights, registration, insurance, or MOT, ridden on the pavement, speeding on the roads, illegally modified. Dangerous. A teen was killed near me not so long ago and the report has just said that the throttle stuck and the brakes failed and he died of head injuries after crashing into a tree.

The rider is wearing dark clothing that does not provide suitable protection for riding a motorbike, and does not have a helmet.

Applies equally whoever the rider is and plenty of them are UK nationals, born here, white British heritage. You could say they're just trying to make a living, but the system encourages them to break the law to do this, and the companies who facilitate it have a duty of care that they're not fulfilling.

But as long as you get your takeaway or groceries quickly and cheaply......

That entirely depends if we’re going to start judging people’s reasons to not be arsed.

I got up for the day at 3:25 today, 2:15 yesterday, and 3:05 the day before.

So no, if we need something right now, I won’t be going out for it. Because I can’t be arsed.

There’s absolutely no way of knowing if other people’s “cba” is for a legitimate reason, or if they’re just bone idle. But since you can’t know either way, it’s maybe better to just not judge strangers.

You sound bone idle faod. I mean fine plenty of people buy from the slave labour outlets in temu etc you're far from alone

That’s okay, you send like a judgmental busybody… FAOD.

I work 50hrs a week and care for my severely disabled child, which quite often that means we’re awake 3am - 10pm, and then the same again.. and again.

I’m the furthest from bone idle I could possibly be. The mere suggestion is frankly hilarious. But I am also far too tired to walk to the chippy.

Like I said, unless you know everyone’s lives and live in their houses, maybe operate a bit of “minding your own business.”

You are using slave labour because you can't heft your bum off the sofa... I bet you'd tut tut about people doing the same and I bet you also complain about how hard it is to fit exercise into your day!

And it is my business because your choices make life worse

I’m not even humouring you with an answer. Because evidently; you’re not able to read/understand.

I have provided you with an explanation, that you weren’t actually owed, as to why some people don’t prioritise home cooked organic meals every day, and recommended you either develop some compassion or keep your nose out.

Everything beyond this point is on you.