KUALA LUMPUR – P-hailing company Foodpanda has insisted that it has always prioritised its delivery riders’ welfare, despite assertions that the workers can barely make a liveable wage.
Responding to Scoop today, Foodpanda said it deemed the delivery “partners” as the backbone of its operation and ecosystem, which was reflected in its continuous investment in its riders’ support programme.
The company said it has always ensured work flexibility and fair compensation for the riders.
“There are various factors that determine partners’ earnings, such as delivery distance, the number of orders, riders’ availability and surge of fees during peak hours.
“The riders’ batch rating is not the sole determinant of their earnings. (In fact), to ensure transparency, the riders can view order earnings before accepting orders,” it said.
“In Malaysia, we partnered with PolicyStreet to provide insurance coverage for the riders while they are on shift. It is the most comprehensive insurance coverage and has the highest payout in the industry.”
The company said the riders were also given options to subscribe to additional coverage for themselves and their families outside of working hours at a heavily subsidised rate.
It added that the company also contributed to the riders’ Socso payments.
“(And) we plan to continue with the campaign to encourage the riders to sign up this year. The riders would regularly receive notifications and reminders to be safe and adhere to traffic rules when they are on the road,” it said.
“Moreover, we do not penalise them for late deliveries and have no intention to set such a policy moving forward.”
“(But) should they encounter baseless complaints, they can dispute it through our in-house support mechanisms where the complaints will be manually addressed.”
Recently Scoop spoke to seven delivery partners who are attached to Foodpanda and GrabFood, where those attached to the former expressed frustration with the pay structure and said they found it tougher to bring in liveable wages.
The weekly earnings of Foodpanda riders fluctuate according to their batch levels: RM7 per order for batch one, RM6 for batch two, RM5 for batch three, and RM4.50 for batches four, five and six.
Riders in batch one experience the highest weekly income, earning approximately RM600 after 30 hours, followed by batch two riders with RM500, batch three riders with just over RM400, and batch four, five and six riders earning a maximum of RM396 per week.
In response to this, Foodpanda asserted its commitment, saying it believed in empowering its delivery partners with autonomy and information, coupled with the flexibility to optimise earnings based on their individual needs.
The company emphasised its responsibility as a service provider to maintain a positive user experience for customers and ensure fairness to delivery partners who provide excellent service.
“We’d continue to invest in our delivery partners’ growth so that they can move on to other opportunities according to their needs. These include providing upskilling opportunities in entrepreneurship and other industries by partnering with various learning platforms,” it said.
“With more than 11 years of operating in Malaysia, we actively engage with our delivery partners, understanding their concerns and feedback. Open channels, including 24/7 helplines and support teams, facilitate ongoing communication.” – January 4, 2024