A recent Facebook post of a Malaysian food delivery rider has gotten much attention. He wrote that he makes an average of $432.50 (RM 1400) daily. The delivery driver, who goes by Billy Cane on Facebook, describes what his job is really like.
He wrote that many are reluctant to try being a food delivery driver because they see it as a “menial job.” However, he added, “In fact, food delivery is also a down-to-earth job, not cheating, stealing, or smuggling, and it is a legitimate income in exchange for hard work. If you are unemployed and have no income, and your regular income is not enough, food delivery is a part-time job that can fill your stomach or increase your extra income.”
In his first post from Dec 14, Mr Billy Cane also posted a breakdown of the $865.32 he received over two days, later saying that the $150 special payment he received isn’t a regular occurrence.
In a later post, he underlined the difficulties of his job.
No one should forget that while most of us were able to safely isolate during the pandemic, food delivery riders continued to work daily in both pouring rain and high heat and humidity.
“I often have to carry a few bags of rice, more than 10 or 20 bottles of 1.5L mineral water…
Sometimes I also carry ice cubes. When the elevator is broken, I have to climb more than ten floors, and then climb down.”
The job can also take a physical toll, as sometimes he has pain in his knees.
He also gets wet in the rain.
And then there are challenging customers.
“From time to time, I will be scolded by people in the restaurant, or I will be scolded by customers,” he added.
There are also days when he catches meals on the road or even skips them.
But he doesn’t fully go into all the difficulties of being a food delivery rider, as this could discourage others.
“There are many, many more. . I don’t want to write it out. If I write it out, it may not attract you to do it. Because it takes a lot of hard work to be a delivery man,” he added. /TISG