BUSINESS is slow for food-delivery riders as the number of riders is increasing each day, especially after the government reintroduced the movement-control order (MCO) in several states in the country.

Speaking to The Malaysian Insight, riders from Foodpanda and GrabFood said they made more income before the MCO was implemented, and urged the government to prolong the operation hours for restaurants.

“Business has been slow since the MCO was introduced. A week before was even better for me,” said Zulfadli, a GrabFood rider from Gombak.

“I think because there are more riders. Therefore, there is a little bit of competition and also the time limit for restaurants is only until 8pm. The last order for us is about 7 to 7.30pm.”

Zulfadli could earn at least RM100 a day before the MCO was reimplemented last week.

Business during the first MCO in March last year was better than the latest restrictions, he said.

“In these few days of MCO, I am taking home about RM40 to RM50 only. Half of what I could earn before the MCO.

“I don’t know why this time is not like the last time. If the government can extend restaurant operation hours to 10pm, it would be much appreciated.”

Under the latest MCO, restaurants are allowed to operate from 6am to 8pm daily, and limited to takeaways and deliveries.

The MCO is in place in six states – Penang, Selangor, Federal Territories (Kuala Lumpur, Putrajaya and Labuan), Malacca, Johor and Sabah – from January 13 to 26 to curb the spread of Covid-19.

At the same time, Yang di-Pertuan Agong Al-Sultan Abdullah Ri’ayatuddin Al-Mustafa Billah Shah also declared a state of emergency until August 1, citing Covid-19 as a reason.

A Penang-based Foodpanda rider, who preferred to be identified as Omar, shares Zulfadli’s sentiments, saying that many part-time riders have turned to become full-time riders.

“Those who are part-time riders are now full time because they lost their permanent jobs. Maybe their factories are closed now.

“Orders come in like usual but competition is there but not in a bad way. We have to share with others, too, as everyone is affected by the pandemic.

“I agree if the government can extend the business hours for restaurants,” said the 27-year-old rider who had been delivering food for the past one year.

More competition

Ijam, a Grab Food delivery man, told The Malaysian Insight he could only make RM70 per day during the MCO.

Ijam was a Grab driver but had to start delivering food after he could not take passengers.

“As a Grab driver, I can make RM150 per day. But under the MCO, there is no one who would use Grab service. So, I had to deliver food.

“Because Grab prioritises motorcyclists, I can only make RM70 a day because I use my car to send food. I feel it is a bit slow (business) even for motorcyclists. It is a real challenge for me.

“Unlike before the MCO, business was still good for me.”

Sugumaran, a Foodpanda rider in Shah Alam, hopes that the government could let restaurants operate until midnight so that riders can make extra money to survive the MCO.

In a place like Shah Alam where the population is high, riders have to wait in turn to get orders, he said.

“Many people are now becoming food riders because it is one of many ways to make money but when there are too many riders, there is bigger competition.

“How many of us can wake up as early as 6am and how many people start ordering at 6am? At least at 10am, people start ordering using Foodpanda or GrabFood, but we have until 8pm only to earn our share.

“I believe many people, especially Malaysians, love midnight snacks and food. Why not allow us to send food until midnight and let us make some money?” asked the 35-year-old.

Grab Malaysia and Foodpanda added almost 30,000 new drivers and riders during the first MCO period from March to June last year.

The increase in individuals signing up for e-hailing services coincided with the rise in the unemployment rate to 5.3% in May from 3.9% in March.

According to the Statistics Department, more than 826,000 were jobless when the MCO ended on May 12.

Foodpanda saw the number of new riders double between March and July compared with previous months. – January 20, 2021.