A Deliveroo courier has revealed what the job is really like and how he's living "pay check to pay check and grinding out a living".
While working as a Deliveroo driver might sound like a dream job for avid cyclists, the freedom it brings comes with a price and has left many riders wondering whether it is worth the cost.
Ryan Murphy, 35, has worked as a Deliveroo courier in Newcastle for more than four years and has cycled more than 100,000 miles during that time, delivering everything from groceries to takeaways.
He started working part-time for Deliveroo while he was a master's student at Newcastle University. After gaining his degree, Ryan struggled to find a graduate job, deciding in the end to work full-time for the online delivery company.
Years down the line, the former leisure centre manager continues to enjoy the freedom but is questioning how much longer he can continue in the job due to the declining wages, reports Chronicle Live.
"I've experienced both ends of the scale; from being a council worker and having a well-paid, stable job to the other end of the scale where I am living week to week and paycheck to paycheck and grinding out a living," he said.
"But there are pros and cons to both. I get a lot of freedom in this job to pursue a lot of the things I am interested in, but it comes at a cost with no paid holidays and rent to worry about.
"I am only ever one accident, one crash, or a bit of black ice on a pavement away from crashing my bike and not being able to meet rent payments."
A typical day will see Ryan work from 12pm to 10pm, cycling around 50 miles across Newcastle city center as he collects and delivers orders received via the Deliveroo app.
When Ryan started out in 2017, he said a single delivery earned him £4.25, but now he says he can be paid just £2.90 per delivery as fees, which are calculated by distance, have fallen over the years.
A typical week working 50 hours would have earned him £700, but now Ryan says he "just about makes a living wage" in bringing in around £400 for the same hours worked each week.
"Being a cycle courier can be very tough at times," he said. "The money has gone down substantially to the point where a lot of people are questioning doing the job.
"It is really hard to carve a full-time living working for Deliveroo or any of the other delivery companies in the city centre because of how much the money has gone down.
"The wages have gone down to such an extent that a lot of people are thinking about going back to restaurants and offices to have that security and comfort blanket of having holidays and time off, which you don't get in the gig economy."
Ryan relies on orders from Newcastle's international students who, he says, make up a large percentage of his work. He believes students are spending a much bigger amount on conveniences like Deliveroo than ever before, with the orders themselves typically costing around £20.
Over his years of working as a courier in Newcastle and Manchester, Ryan has seen it all.
"There have been some students in Newcastle and Manchester that would order up to three times a day," Ryan said. "You would know the customer when you go to the restaurant to pick up the order. This happens less often now but it was really common in the early days, especially in Manchester.
"I would deliver to the same students three times a day literally: for breakfast, in the afternoon, and in the evening when people wanted cigarettes and milk. It's crazy how it seems like these people have unlimited money."
The instability and lack of direct contact and support from Deliveroo are some of the downsides to the job, according to Ryan.
"You are left to your own devices," he said. "For any safety concerns, you have to go through the website. It's very robotic. Personally, I would like to have a base in Newcastle where riders could meet and there would be management there for you to relay any concerns to."
But, as a self-confessed "cycling-fanatic", jobs don't get much better than this.
"Cycling is the main reason why I do it," Ryan said. "I love cycling and I love Newcastle. You are sort of like your own boss in terms of flexibility and you are roaming Newcastle all day. The complete liberation and freedom of not being stuck in the same environment all day every day."
He continued: "You learn every nook and cranny of the city you think you know so well.
"When you start delivering, you get to know the people you deliver to every day: the students, the businesses, the shops, the restaurants. That's the fantastic thing I love about the job despite everything else - the poor weather you have in the winters and how quiet it can be in the summers.
"You are out by yourself and can listen to music or a podcast so you get a sense of freedom you can't get from any other job."
But when the going does get tough, Ryan remembers that it won't last forever.
"I have always treated it as if it's coming to an end," he said. "That's one of the nice things about it, the fact that next week or month I might get another job or be doing something else.
"It gives you freedom and flexibility, but I don't see myself doing it long-term. It's so hard to do full time because of the strain it puts on you - not just financially but mentally, emotionally and physically.
"You are carving out an existence."
However, despite all its challenges, Ryan said he'll miss the freedom of job when the time comes to move on.
"It is a job I really enjoy despite all the challenges and everything that goes with it," he said. "It will be hard to give up the flexibility and freedom. You're not constrained by the job. I can do this job whenever I want and choose whatever hours I want to work."
He continued: "That's not to say one day I won't get a different job. Hopefully, I won't be cycling all my life, but it's something that's a stop-gap in the midst of a career change that I've really enjoyed."
Deliveroo said that riders are self-employed and are provided with free and automatic accident and injury cover and third-party liability insurance which protects them in the event of an accident or injury sustained while working.
It says it also offers earnings support for illness and families who are unwell and unable to work as well as a support phone line.
A Deliveroo spokeswoman said: “Deliveroo is proud to offer good quality, flexible work to more than 50,000 self-employed riders across the UK. Our way of working is designed around what riders tell us matters to them most - flexibility.
"Deliveroo riders are informed about the best times and places to work to help them maximise their earnings and have the complete freedom to choose when, where and how they work.
"Riders in the UK are paid for each delivery they choose to complete and always earn more than the national minimum wage while working with us.
"In most cases, riders earn significantly more than this - in fact on average riders earn almost double the national minimum wage while on an order. Riders are also provided with a wide range of support, such as free kit. We encourage riders to let us know if any of their core kit items are damaged or need to be replaced, as we will replace them for free.
“Riders' safety and well-being is our absolute priority. We have a dedicated rider team in place who are on hand, as well as a support phone line to help riders with any concerns they have and make sure they feel supported at all times.”
Ryan has written a book about his experiences as a Deliveroo courier called "You've got the Gig! 100'000 miles as a cycle courier in the Gig Economy. The Good, Bad & the Ugly," which is available on Amazon.
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