Food delivery courier “hot spots” outside businesses under fire

Gatherings of bike couriers on sidewalks throughout the downtown core have raised concerns over accessibility and business disruption. The city says it will consider options to deal with the issue but nothing is planned yet. Mark McAllister reports.

[@89strooker]

That’s not the problem. The problem is cost of living. There weren’t so many on streets during better times. Delivery jobs were meant for Highschool students in their little Kia

[@waterbottle4782]

No different then dozens of cabs hanging outside of bars around closing time.

[@Dre536]

Imagine waiting as an Uber eats bike courier and see a random camera with a random news reporter videoing you 😂💀

[@mhow7024]

Why would anyone imagine such a sad situation?

[@bellejour559]

Slow news day.

[@Growingchannel637]

I support delivery couriers at least they are being productive of society and are not a bunch of criminals.

[@huhujojo1968]

They are not as productive as they would have been if they were genuine students who came to acquire skills the country needs.

[@Growingchannel637]

@@huhujojo1968 I understand but at least they are doing something instead of criminal activity correct?

[@junkfoodguy]

why arent these buinesses hieing thee own delivery people

[@jasoncarthew2279]

​@@junkfoodguy because then they will have to pay them a wage

[@junkfoodguy]

@@jasoncarthew2279 but they have conbtract right nit living a wage

[@akhan9969]

Such a nuisance for the city. Food delivery platforms should be accountable.

[@KingKarlomagne]

woman making %150k complaining about people making $0 an hour

[@johnedwards4337]

Lol, there is a solution, hiring actually delivery guys and paying them salary like people used to

[@Juliapak]

good luck when half of these guys lose their job and this leads to swelling welfare rates!

[@matthewcox1093]

That's what happens when not enough work for bike food courier's. I remember few years ago when this was not the case of so many courier's waiting for delivery. Uber Eats especially makes it worst by constantly hiring food courier when not enough work 😕

[@1960ARC]

I think you make the best point! The companies are mostly responsible for having more riders then they actually need! If the companies had to pay each rider a minimum for being logged on, they wouldn't over subscribe with riders. It costs them nothing, so they don't care and desperate riders accept lower and lower pay and actually push pay down. I trip that four years ago was £8, many do for £3.50. I will do the order for £5 but no less. I don't get that particular order and uber appears to be winning the race to the bottom.

[@NarlyNardo]

Bingo

[@jasoncarthew2279]

Back in 2018 we was making very good money 30-50 a hour now we're lucky to make 10 a hour here in the uk

[@GENTIFILMS]

Where else would they wait??? Let them do their job and stop reporting nonsense

[@jamesh2459]

Canada has gone downhill with the liberals.

[@rohanutep81]

Keep hearing this all the time why don’t we have elections right away😂😂

[@gormenfreeman499]

It seems like we have to wait too long to get rid of a government we don’t want anymore.

[@junkfoodguy]

canada wasnt downhill whe4n toies were in powwr 2008

[@1960ARC]

I do Uber, deliveroo and just eat and avoid waiting with a group in a so called hot spot. You don't have to be outside the restaurant to get the order. Taxis have taxi ranks. There are no specific places for us to wait and many in the UK are in cars including taxis. This is my sixth year, I am semi retired and enjoy doing deliveries on a 125 scooter. After three years doing deliveries in my area being the only bike, a load of new scooter riders arrived. I used to stop on the pavement on private land, pick up and leave. These new riders just sat parked on the pavement all day waiting for orders, I told them if you sit here all day, new signs stopping use parking will be installed. I was ignored, no surprise when the new signs went up. After several got parking tickets, no one parks here any more and I avoid going here at all. Riders don't have to congregate like a scruffy gang. People don't want to see us making the centre of town look scruffy, they just want us to be invisible. I never wait in a group near the outlet. I turn up, pick up and leave and find a street to wait on my own, so I'm not too obvious and not always in the same place.

[@henrygreenwood3927]

Toronto already has some of the narrowest sidewalks in all of north america. For such a large city. Having bike couriers from india, to deliver cold macdonalds fries. Is unsustainable.

[@DPI981]

How do we get them off the sidewalks going 25-30 kmh?

[@MB-yh1ch]

They also take up outdoor seating intended for the customers. I will not even go to "Tim Horton's" at 720 King St. W. because of the gauntlet of couriers. As a result found out I like McDonald's coffee better.

[@marleeguy]

and when they do get an order they barge in holding their phone cut in front of the waiting customers and rudely demand their orders

[@tyfp3854]

im from detroit mI so i don't have those problems yet.

[@gormenfreeman499]

Infrastructure design generally seems to neglect delivery. People want things delovered now in this economy, so its suddenly become an issue.

[@rickvervoort9536]

If bicycle couriers formed a union, you could have a bike lane on the 401 if your union reps had any cajones.

[@Juliapak]

that would lead to the "job" packing it up and leaving. just look at foodora

[@funeralman23]

Finally, talking about AODA Accessibility for Ontarins with Disabilities Act law violation.

[@ZenCorvus]

Is that what's common? The bike carrier part? Seems more specific within the courier community.

[@Shadow_Lurker968]

Yeah. Couriers that use bikes are a lot less common. The apps only allow that in very specific areas... Bike couriers are not available in most cities. I do it in a vehicle. Those of us who drive do the same thing. We sit in "hot spots". That behaviour is not an option. The app highlights those spots as "hot spots" and the couriers who are in closest proximity to the restaurant the customer orders from gets priority on that delivery. So for example: when I park at Wendy's it says "7 meters" from the restaurant. If another driver is 5 meters (because he's in a bathroom stall) he gets priority because he's the closest. Some of the apps have other factors, like acceptance rate, that they add into the priority sequence... but for the most part all of the apps work that way, we have to be near the hotspot... if we want orders. People don't see us sitting in our cars... but we're there. 😁

[@abhijitguha494]

These people are not living like leeches on dole money paid by the tax payers. They are working and paying taxes.

[@user-ur7kz8eo9f]

Why sign with delivery companies if they like to complain ehh???

[@doordashindiva]

This is really a NON ISSUE!!! C’mon!?Give me a break! SMH!

[@mikec3971]

We’ve given up our roads for cyclists…we may as well give up our sidewalks for them too. No room for cars and pedestrians in Toronto…just bikes. 😂

[@jiayojames]

This is what happens when there's too many delivery drivers and not enough jobs to go round. They don't want to be waiting there they want an order to come through so they can get on and earn some money. Blame Uber etc for over saturating.

[@hadimirfatahi1523]

All drivers must stop working , just eat uber and Deliveroo

[@stephenc3504]

Dont give Chow encouragement to waste more of your tax dollars building infastructure to encourage intl students etc to continue to get breaks .

[@pr00009]

It isnt even a break. Its unpaid waiting time. The app tells them to stand in those spots

[@ugeneous]

All I see are illegal entrepreneurs curriers by day auto thefts at night