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AIBU?

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

254 replies

Pavementworrier · 01/12/2025 00:32

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.

OP posts:
Kleeneze · 01/12/2025 05:43

If people think these drivers have a right to work in the UK they’re INCREDIBLY naive!

When it started up deliveroo drivers were all students on normal bikes. Now every single delivery driver I see are of African descent. In a city where the African population is 0.2% of the registered population. Whether the delivery person matches the picture on their ID I wouldn’t know as I have never used any of these services. it’s not racist to point out the blatant illegal employment.

I do know that most of the bikes ridden are illegal though. An e-bike has to merely enhance the pedalling done by the rider to be legal and have a max speed of 15 mph. I have NEVER seen one of these ‘bikes’ being pedalled. The drivers also don’t seem to have any concept of the Highway Code whatsoever, and any respect for rules or authority. The police here managed to stop a number of delivery drivers recently and been confiscating many many illegal bikes which is great news.

There was a v funny headline in the papers the other day that said if ID checks were brought in in the UK takeaway delivery costs would go up due to no longer being allowed to employ illegal workers. Like this is news to some people, and a reason why we shouldn’t have ID checks rather than we should.

Dolamroth · 01/12/2025 05:48

Pavementworrier · 01/12/2025 00:37

It's not housebound people keeping them in business it's people who won't walk the length of themselves to fetch a chippie. (There's a reason the model didn't really take off in mainland Europe)

It has taken off in mainland Europe it's just different apps that have become the most popular.

Sartre · 01/12/2025 05:58

Honestly never ever looked at one of these people and thought anything whatsoever. I find it weird you think they’re ominous in some way when they’re literally just dropping off food.

BatshitOutofHell · 01/12/2025 06:38

I wonder if Nigel Farage ever orders Deliveroo. If so I wonder what he has to say about it.

Holdonforsummer · 01/12/2025 06:48

I actually agree with you, OP. It is supremely depressing. There have been news articles about these delivery drivers living several to a room in squalid conditions, and for what? To feed lazy entitled people with junk food. I find it like a dystopian movie. I would never support this business model.

myglowupera · 01/12/2025 06:51

176509user · 01/12/2025 01:33

Absolutely!
Most of what I said refers to poster saying that takeaways are a sole means of eating. From this I assume a daily occurrence.
I’m also 3 days post op and made sure I have plenty of fresh nutritional food in the house to aid wound healing. It doesn’t have to be complicated cooking.

And if you run out of milk and carrots there’s always Uber Eats!
I think they do fresh food Mondays too. 😄

Slightyamusedandsilly · 01/12/2025 06:52

Pavementworrier · 01/12/2025 00:41

I await my arse arriving late, cold and overpriced in the same box as some county lines product, then.

While I vehemently disagree with you (suspect we're going down nasty, anti immigrant/foreigner, pro-Reform lines here) I applaud your linking of food delivery and county lines!

Bjorkdidit · 01/12/2025 07:00

I also agree with you OP and find it weird that MN generally doesn't object to the likes of Deliveroo, Just Eat, Uber etc in a way that it does Shein, Temu and Amazon, yet it has equally shady business practices, exploiting everyone involved in the process for it's own gain.

They tenuously claim the riders are 'self employed' denying them employment rights such as annual leave, sick pay, pensions and NMW. So the delivery people are almost forced to break the law in an attempt to make a living, either using illegal and dangerous motorbikes (see also the number of house fires caused by these as well as the danger to pedestrians) or will be delivering in cars that almost certainly won't have the correct insurance, because for delivery driving it will be ridiculously expensive.

They also avoid paying employer NI contributions aka tax. On paper they don't make much of a profit, so probably don't pay much in the way of corporation tax either.

They charge the food producers huge commissions and have punitive contractual terms - if someone complains, they usually get a refund, even for spurious reasons outside the restaurant's control, such as the food is cold or late, often because the rider/driver is combining several deliveries at once. A local food truck turned takeaway I have on social media likens it to having half your takings extracted by the local Dodgy Dan at the end of the night. They offer Deliveroo because a lot of people demand it, but also allow collections via FB messenger, which are much cheaper and make it clear this is their preference.

And that's before we get to illegal workers and subcontracting, which we know goes on even if people try to deny it or fling around accusations of racism to anyone who mentions it.

Bjorkdidit · 01/12/2025 07:09

Anyway, in my city, the robots are taking over so Uber Eats at least will be able to ditch their delivery people and as course, as they're 'self employed' they won't be entitled to any redundancy money, there will just be fewer jobs available on the platform.

https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/articles/cnv23dzqz1zo

Councillor Jonathan Pryor poses for a photo with a delivery robot. The machine has six wheels and is around 60cm in height. Councillor Pryor has curly strawberry blonde hair and glasses.

Robots to begin delivering takeaways in Leeds

Uber Eats has partnered with delivery robot company to roll out service in student areas.

https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/articles/cnv23dzqz1zo

Sailininthechoppa · 01/12/2025 07:11

I know someone who does food deliveries in her car. She has regular fast food customers who live a stones throw from mcdonalds. Literally in the same small street, 300m and they get it delivered by her 🤯.

No, I've never got a food delivery.

dunroamingfornow · 01/12/2025 07:13

In “ Europe” recently. They were everywhere including face coverings !

Tryingtokeepgoing · 01/12/2025 07:18

Pavementworrier · 01/12/2025 00:37

It's not housebound people keeping them in business it's people who won't walk the length of themselves to fetch a chippie. (There's a reason the model didn't really take off in mainland Europe)

Not the point of your thread I know, but Deliveroo (and other delivery services) are certainly widespread in major French and Italian towns / cities.

SumUp · 01/12/2025 07:19

And across Eastern European cities too…

Crispus · 01/12/2025 07:21

This reply has been deleted

This has been deleted by MNHQ for breaking our Talk Guidelines.

BlueJuniper94 · 01/12/2025 07:22

UserFront242 · 01/12/2025 00:36

I agree with your point about them needing to be properly employed.
But your point about the disgust at people who use them is off. Some people are housebound and are allowed to enjoy a takeaway. Some people are unable to prepare food themselves, and rely on these services to be able to eat.

Your "some people" make up about 2% of Deliveroo users

PersephoneParlormaid · 01/12/2025 07:23

My DD used to work in a chain pizza place 10 years ago. The delivery drivers were dealing weed back then. The customers would ask for certain drivers to deliver so they knew they could buy it.

herbalteabag · 01/12/2025 07:24

I just think people should be employed properly on a set number of hours. I don't think someone ordering from Deliveroo is an issue - it probably helps takeaways deliver more food than they could manage otherwise. Also, groceries are on Deliveroo as well and a surprising number of people use it (I never would). It actually brings more labour hours to supermarkets.

JustGoClickLikeALightSwitch · 01/12/2025 07:27

UberEats also allows “substitute drivers/riders”, which is a gaping hole wrt legal employment and safety.

gogomomo2 · 01/12/2025 07:28

@Pavementworrier. Saw plenty of delivery bikes on holiday in Europe this year. We don’t have any in my town though, there is only two Deliveroo people here, husband and wife and they use their car. Mostly seems to be groceries as theres very few options for Deliveroo, the handful of restaurants offering delivery you book direct with and again use cars. Chippy and Chinese do not deliver at all.

CassandraWebb · 01/12/2025 07:30

I use deliveroo to get shopping when I am too ill to leave the house (not infrequent due to my health condition).

I don't like using it as it is desperately overpriced, but it is really helpful.

I am trying to reduce reliance on it by getting an odd box, so I have more fruit and veg

If there were alternatives to deliveroo that more run on more ethical lines I would use them.

But when I realise I need milk and salad and some potatoes and I can't go and get them then I am grateful to have to the option

LamonicBibber1 · 01/12/2025 07:39

OP eating home cooked boiled potatoes, mutton and veg at the scrubbed table in the Victorian rectory, listening to Rees Mogg on the wireless

Meanwhile in the real world, everyone else understands that the billionaire puppet overlords of our society let lots of people down, so loopholes have to exist, and it was e'er thus- pickpockets, dealers, the grey economy, people working six jobs with five identities to feed their kids.

Wearing warm face coverings while working in the winter in the UK, faints in horror that the world isn't a diorama of affluence and pleasantry for OPs superior eyes to rest upon.

And the basic, obvious fact that a bleak future makes small treats look very appealing. And it is the same in every European/international city I've travelled to, these services or similar ones are available. Supply and demand!

Bjorkdidit · 01/12/2025 07:40

@CassandraWebb could you get a delivery pass for a supermarket and try and make sure you never run out of anything? It probably won't cost any more and their delivery drivers are properly employed by supermarkets or Ocado.

Most vegetables, milk etc will last at least a week even salad often does, and you could make sure you use the more perishable items earlier in the week and leave longer lasting items like peppers, carrots and some leaves until later on. Also buy things like frozen berries.

Westfacing · 01/12/2025 07:42

At 00.45 this morning someone was having a Deliveroo - can't believe it was urgent groceries!

The rider was obviously having difficulties finding the right address and was circling around, then he had a loud phone conversation and was running his engine right outside my bedroom window.

My main gripe with these delivery guys is riding on the pavement, and far too fast when on shared space.

PuppiesProzacProsecco · 01/12/2025 07:45

What pisses me off most is how in some fast food outlets, the app delivery drivers are given huge precedence over actual in person customers. They're pushing in and their orders seem to be given priority by staff.

In one smallish city near me, I've stopped going to both the McDs and KFC as they've both become Just Eat/Deliveroo hubs. I'm sick of having to chase staff to deal with my order (which is usually sitting getting cold whilst they bag up delivery orders).

SheinIsShite · 01/12/2025 07:47

I don't believe for 2 seconds that everyone ordering food deliveries is housebound.

In Glasgow they are absolutely as you describe - young men, in black, riding illegal e-bike scooters, on and off the pavement, no tax, insurance.

Obviously don;t know the immigration status of each and every one, but it's not a coincidence that the Britannia by Charing Cross station is used to house asylum seekers and has dozens of the bikes parked outside.

Deliveroo and Just Eat have proved they don;t care about illegal working, and all the posturing from the labour government about digital ID is not going to solve this very easy route to illegal jobs and cash.

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