WITH the pollution level worsening nationwide, food-delivery riders are raking it in as more people stay indoors and order food sent to their doorsteps.

These riders, whom The Malaysian Insight met at various locations in the Klang Valley, said orders have increased in recent days because of the poor air quality and worsening smoke situation.

They said since the problem began, the public preferred to order food through e-hailing applications.

“Many of the customers said they refuse to go out and would rather stay at home. The weather is not good but for us riders, we have to earn money, so we still work,” said Khairul Hisham Rashid who rides for Food Panda.

“In my opinion, there are several factors for this increase in orders. One is because of the weather, another is because we just celebrated Merdeka Day, so there are still discounts for food if you use e-hailing food services.”

Hisham’s colleague Haikal Salim said many riders are willing to work in the bad weather because they can earn extra money from the deliveries.

“To get extra income, you have to deliver food – and the more you send, the more you get. So, for many riders, as long as they can earn extra income, they are willing to work. Many of us are aware of the condition and the health dangers, so you will see many of us wearing face masks.

“During weekdays, there are not many riders as majority of us have permanent jobs but on weekends, the numbers will increase, plus the orders will also increase. So, there is a healthy competition among us,” said the 24-year-old who does part-time riding for Food Panda.

Both said that they are able to earn extra income from making more than 10 deliveries a day.

“Like I said, on weekdays, the number of riders is not that many, so we can make money. People also prefer to order instead of going out.

“But on weekends, riders can still make money. Just last Saturday, I did 22 trips, which is a lot, given the fact that there are many riders around. It shows that people refuse to go out in this weather,” said Haikal.

The Malaysian Insight discovered several e-hailing food riders from Food Panda and Grab Food waiting outside popular fast-food outlets, such as McDonald’s and KFC in Shah Alam and Setia Alam.

Others were seen at mamak restaurants or food stalls for incoming orders.

The poor weather condition is caused by forest fires in Indonesia’s Sumatra and Kalimantan.

Some areas in Kuala Lumpur, Selangor, Negri Sembilan, Perak, Johor and Sarawak recorded “unhealthy” air pollutant index (API) readings.

In Selangor, Petaling Jaya recorded an API of 139, Shah Alam (143), Klang (134) and Banting (130).

In Kuala Lumpur, Batu Muda had an API of 132 and Cheras (137), while Putrajaya registered 152.

Stall operators also suffer

Food operators in Cheras told the Malaysian Insight that their businesses have seen a slight decline because of the unhealthy air.

Siti Mariam Zakaria who sells local cakes said her business saw a 40% drop ever since the problem started.

“It is bad, the weather is bad, business is bad, too. I guess many are not willing to come out. Even I feel a little uncomfortable, but work is still work. If you don’t work, how are you going to make money?

“Hopefully, things will get a little better soon. As for now, people prefer to stay indoors and order food through apps,” she said.

Another seller, Mustafa Abdul Razak agreed with Mariam that the public would rather place their orders through mobile phone apps.

“Just last Saturday, my whole family refused to go out and we ordered food delivery. As you can see, the situation here is not good. Who wants to come and buy? But we have to brave the unhealthy air because we need to make some money,” said Mustafa.

Anish Musam, 42, is luckier as she still receives orders from regular customers.

“Thank God, I can still earn despite the bad weather. My customers are from nearby offices,” said Anish who sells chicken rice.

Staff at Dinner in The Sky (DITS) in Kuala Lumpur, which is known for serving food in the sky-hoisted crane with a scenic view of the city, also said the smoke has slightly affected their business and that they’ve already planned precautionary measures for their customers.

“Because our dining sessions are in the evening, it is not clearly visible but we’re preparing to provide our customers with masks either by tomorrow (today) or Friday,” said DITS marketing executive Ain Qurina.

Muthu Lingam who runs a stall in Brickfields, Kuala Lumpur, said he has not noticed a drop in the number of customers.

The 47-year-old said he has seen worse air pollution before.

Muthu said he’s still having customers daily who come to have their meals and tea at his stall, adding that not many can afford to pay for food delivery via Grab Food or Food Panda.

“I don’t think the weather in KL is as bad as reported. I’ve seen worse than this, where even the visibility was really poor,” he said. – September 12, 2019.