Here’s Why Your Food Delivery Was Late Or Cancelled Recently… And It’s Not What You Think

By Karissa Lund  •  15 Apr 2021 in News

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Food delivery apps are considered to be the best thing since the invention of sliced bread. The ease and efficiency it brings to our daily life are incomparable to anything else. But if you’re an avid user of these apps, you might notice that many of your orders recently have been delivered late or even cancelled.

According to NST, the lack of delivery riders since about three weeks ago is the reason behind this issue.

The situation became glaring since Muslims began fasting on Tuesday (13 April), as many Malaysians continue to rely on food delivery services amid the Covid-19 pandemic.

A senior executive with a popular online delivery platform said several companies involved in similar services noticed a drop in the number and availability of riders over the last few weeks.

“We do, have a few theories why the number of food delivery riders has decreased over the last couple of weeks. Firstly, the disbursement of the much-welcomed funds via the (Employees Provident Fund) i-Sinar facility may have led to many of them deciding to take a short break since it is Ramadan, and many delivery riders are Malays,” he said.

He also mentioned that riders may have chosen to use the money to start a small business to sustain themselves.

“Another possible reason is the fact many business sectors have reopened under the Conditional Movement Control Order, and this led to many people seeking permanent employment that comes with medical coverage, perks and other forms of job security,” said the senior executive, adding that the recent bad weather was also a factor to the non-availability of delivery riders.

However, the company could not specifically “put its finger” on why many delivery riders are going offline.

Speaking to NST, a rider who goes by Wan mentioned that many of his colleagues quit because they are fed up as companies have cut or reduced the incentives for riders. He stated that in the past, riders would receive an incentive for making deliveries in bad weather, which makes it worth the risk riding under harsh conditions.

Now that certain incentives have been cut, many decided to just stop.  Another rider who goes by Zulfikar also shared similar concerns.

“Now with incentives being cut, it means we earn less. It does not take a genius to figure it out. Many riders will seek other jobs that can give a better, higher salary… Most of us might be young, but riding for hours in harsh weather is no joke. It takes a toll physically, mentally and emotionally,” said Zulfikar, a father of two.