Is It Possible To Earn A $4,200 Monthly Pay Cheque With Normal Working Hours Doing Food Delivery? Maybe Not....
A recent piece of information made the news, where a Deliveroo rider’s hard work paid off with a pretty fat paycheque.
Over a span of 6 months, a Deliveroo rider earned an income of $25,499.66. That is an average salary of $4,241.61 per month.
Here’s a quick summary of his income:
| Month | Total Income | Number Of Trips | Average Earning Per Trip |
|---|---|---|---|
| January | $4,832.12 | 548 | $8.82 per trip |
| February | $3,342.03 | 379 | $8.82 per trip |
| March | $4,166.71 | 479 | $8.70 per trip |
| April | $4,777.99 | 512 | $9.33 per trip |
| May | $4,589.81 | 513 | $8.95 per trip |
| June | $3,740.90 | 414 | $9.04 per trip |
- The average earning per Deliveroo delivery trip ranges from $8.70 to $$9.33 per trip.
- On average, the rider completed an average of 474 orders per month.
- To achieve such results, however, requires long hours of hard work. The Deliveroo rider, Irwan, worked 64 hours a week for his well-deserving paycheque!
- Each hour, he completes an average of 1.85 orders.
We understand that the success story above is an outlier in the pool of food delivery riders. On average, Singaporeans work an average of 44.8 hours per week.
Using that as a benchmark, we check out how much a Deliveroo, Grabfood and Foodpanda rider realistically make per month.
TL;DR – Realistically, How Much Does Food Delivery Riders Make Per Month?
Motorcycle food delivery riders can expect to earn a basic monthly salary of about $2,099 to $3,674 assuming a 5 days work week and 9 hours working hours daily.
On average, motorcycle food delivery riders can expect to earn an hourly salary of $11.66 to $20.41 if they work 9 hours per day, 5 days per week (subjected to the number of orders). They can earn higher, depending on the total amount of orders for the week, the location of their orders and any peak hours they meet.
How Much Can You Earn Per Delivery As A Food Delivery Rider?
We once covered the various payout schemes which Deliveroo, FoodPanda and GrabFood.
Here’s a quick recap on how much you can earn as a food delivery rider:
| Food Delivery Company | Food Delivery Rider's Pay Per Order | Rider's Incentives Per Order | Total Per Delivery For Motorcyclist |
|---|---|---|---|
| Deliveroo | Pick-up Fee: $3 Delivery Fee: $2 Motorycle Rider: $1 | Variable Distance Fee (Reviewed monthly) Peak hours incentive: 11am - 2pm: $1 5pm - 9pm: $1 (weekday)/ $2 (weekend) | Motorcyclist: $6 to $10 per delivery PMDs/ Bicycle: $5-$10 per delivery |
| Foodpanda | $7 - $11 per order (Depending on location and batch number) | Quest Incentive based on number of orders and location. | $7 - $12.50 per delivery |
| GrabFood | PMD/ Bicycle: $2 per delivery Motorcycle: $3 per delivery | Distance Fare: $3 - $6 Special Incentive based on weekly gems collected. | PMD/Bicycle: $5 - $11.30 per delivery Motorcycle: $6 - $12.30 per delivery |
- All 3 companies have a similar structure of base pay per delivery, followed by incentives.
- Incentives include peak hours bonus, distance travelled and the number of trips made within a certain period of time.
How Much Can You Realistically Earn Per Month As A Food Delivery Rider?
Is it possible for someone looking to be doing food delivery full-time, and still manage to get a work-life balance?
While the above example is great with a $4,200 average monthly salary, spending 64 hours and 7 days at work per week is rather extreme.
Assuming a food delivery rider:
- Works 5 days a week
- Works 9 hours per day
- The food delivery rider will try to achieve the maximum amount of peak hours, in order to earn more.
Here are 3 different types of working hours we think is beneficial:
| Working Days/ Hours | Weekdays Peak Hours Covered Per Week | Weekend Peak Hours Covered Per Week | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Working Hours A | Monday to Friday 11am to 8pm | 11am to 2pm 5pm to 8pm (Total 30 hours per week) | - |
| Working Hours B | Wednesday to Sunday 12pm - 9pm | 12pm to 2pm 5pm to 9pm (Total 18 hours per week) | 12pm to 2pm 5pm to 9pm (Total 12 hours per week) |
| Working Hours C | Wednesday to Friday 11am to 2pm Saturday and Sunday 5pm to 9pm + 2 hours per day from Wednesday to Sunday | 11am to 2pm 5pm to 9pm (Total 21 hours per week) | 11am to 2pm 5pm to 9pm (Total 14 hours per week) |
- The first two working hours have no break in between, very much like the normal working hours of most Singaporeans. We also assume that lunchtime will be as and when possible for the riders.
- The third working hours maximises the use of peak hours, covering all the available 7 peak hours specified by Deliveroo.
With that, here’s how much each type of working hours can earn, keeping in-mind the assumptions stated.
How Much Can A Motorcycle Deliveroo Food Delivery Rider Possibly Earn?
At an average rate of 1.85 orders per hour, a motorcycle Deliveroo food delivery rider makes:
| Weekdays Peak Hour Orders | Weekend Peak Hour Orders | Normal Hour Orders | How Much Does A Deliveroo Food Delivery Rider Make Per Week? | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Working Hours A | 30 Hours x 1.85 Orders = 55.5 Orders | - | 15 Hours x 18.5 Orders = 27.75 Orders | (55.5 x $7) + (27.75 x $6) = $554.5 |
| Working Hours B | 18 Hours x 1.85 Orders = 33.3 Orders | 4 Hours x 1.85 Orders = 7.4 Orders 8 Hours x 1.85 Orders = 14.8 Orders | 15 Hours x 18.5 Orders = 27.75 Orders | (40.7 x $7) + (14.8 x $8) + (27.75 x $6) = $569.80 |
| Working Hours C | 21 Hours x 1.85 Orders = 38.85 Orders | 6 Hours x 1.85 Orders = 11.1 Orders 8 Hours x 1.85 Orders = 14.8 Orders | 10 Hours x 18.5 Orders = 18.5 Orders | (49.95 x $7) + (14.8 x $8) + (18.5 x $6) = $579.05 |
- Based on the 3 types of working hours we dictated, a Deliveroo Food Delivery Rider makes about $554.50 to $580.52 per week, excluding variable distance fee.
- This adds up to be a monthly salary of at least $2,218 to $2,322.08.
How Much Can A Motorcycle Foodpanda Food Delivery Rider Possibly Earn?
At an average rate of 1.85 orders per hour, a motorcycle Foodpanda food delivery rider working 45 hours a week completes 83.25 orders.
Foodpanda delivery riders are paid per order, depending on the location.
The minimum a Foodpanda delivery rider receives from each order is $7 and can go up to as high as $11, excluding special incentives.
| Number Of Orders Per Week | Number Of Orders Per Month | Total Earnings |
|---|---|---|
| 83.25 | 333 | $2,331 - $3,663 |
Realistically, a Foodpanda food delivery rider can earn a total of $2,338 to $3,674, depending on the location of their orders. This is excluding income from Quest Incentive which is updated weekly.
Here’s an example of what a Quest Incentive looks like:
Quest Incentive can help one make an additional of $1.30 to $2.30 for each order.
How Much Can A Motorcycle GrabFood Delivery Rider Possibly Earn?
At an average rate of 1.85 orders per hour, a motorcycle GrabFood delivery rider working 45 hours a week completes 83.25 orders.
GrabFood delivery riders are paid per order, depending on the location.
The minimum a GrabFood delivery rider receives from each order is $6 and can go up to as high as $9, excluding special incentives.
| Number Of Orders Per Week | Number Of Orders Per Month | Total Earnings |
|---|---|---|
| 83.25 | 333 | $1,998 - $2,997 |
This is excluding income from their Weekly Gems Incentive which they pay up to an additional $3 per order for weekday orders and up to $3.27 per order for weekends based on the number of orders they hit.
| Weekday Orders | Weekend Orders | How Much Gem Incentive Does A GrabFood Delivery Rider Make Per Week? | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Working Hours A | 45 Hours x 1.85 Orders = 83.25 Orders | - | $120 (Weekday Gem Incentives) |
| Working Hours B & C | 27 Hours x 1.85 Orders = 49.95 Orders | 18 Hours x 1.85 Orders = 33.3 Orders | $60 (Weekday Gem Incentives) $35 (Weekend Gem Incentives) |
Realistically, a GrabFood delivery rider can earn a total of $2,099 to $3,126, including Gem Incentives, depending on the location of their orders and work timing.
” Food Delivery Riders Earn A Lot One!”
It is easy for bystanders to look at success stories and formulate the impression that a particular occupation earns a good amount of income. What most of us do not see is the long hours of hard work and hustle that goes behind these success stories.
As of now, I am typing my resignation letter while trying to book my motorcycle lesson at Singapore Safety Driving Centre (SSDC).
