Report: Demanding customers ‘forcing’ food delivery riders to break traffic rules

KUALA LUMPUR (March 23): Impatient customers are “forcing” food delivery riders to break traffic rules, The Star reported today.

Many riders have told the daily in a report that some impatient customers put pressure on them “to deliver food on time”.

Delivery rider Irwan Azli explained that he is “under pressure” to deliver food “within a certain time” and his ratings would suffer if he was even little late.

“I was on my way to deliver food to a woman one day when it started to rain heavily. She kept texting me every five minutes and became very rude when I told her I would be delayed because of the rain,” he revealed.

“There was another customer who insisted that the food be piping hot when she got it, saying she would complain to my company if it was not.

“This makes the job more stressful,” he added.

Meanwhile, rider Mohd Zaki said he never broke traffic rules although he was tempted to do so “when pressured by customers”.

“Many riders flout traffic rules to complete the job fast. No one wants to get caught in traffic in the heat or rain," he added.

Another delivery rider Osman Manaf said he would sometimes take shortcuts to get to his destination faster, adding that he was always “careful when using such shortcuts”.

Another report by The Star stated that Kuala Lumpur City Hall (DBKL) “will work closely with the police to penalise motorcyclists riding on pedestrian walkways”.

DBKL said it has received many complaints about “motorcyclists, especially food delivery riders, who encroach on pedestrian walkways and ride recklessly”.

Foodpanda Malaysia logistics head Shubham Saran told the publication that: “Foodpanda Malaysia is not aware of the issue regarding riders using the pedestrian walkways along Jalan Tunku Abdul Rahman and Jalan Masjid India.

“We at Foodpanda consider this a serious matter as the well-being and safety of all Malaysians are our top priority.

“We do not condone these actions and necessary steps will be taken immediately once the riders are identified.

“We are constantly sending out important reminders to all our riders to ensure they obey all the rules and traffic regulations in Malaysia,” Shubham added.

A Grab Malaysia spokesperson said safety was the company’s main priority.

“We regularly remind our delivery riders to put safety first and follow road safety rules. We have a zero-tolerance policy on traffic violations or reckless riding that may endanger the lives of other road users.

“This includes complying with speed limits, obeying road signals and traffic lights, and using a hands-free kit while riding,” said the Grab Malaysia spokesperson.

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