Ultimate Food Delivery Rider's Guide: Which Is The Best Company?

Not too long ago, I just ORD-ed from NS and had a couple of months before school started.

It was the best feeling ever because I had my own chill time, was out of the government’s hands – or anyone’s hands for the matter – and was FINALLY FREE to do whatever I wanted!

But I quickly realised that even if I wanted to travel and have fun with friends, I needed money to do so. Otherwise, I would very quickly become broke and wouldn’t be able to do all the fun stuff I wanted. #walao

It was then that I decided that I had to earn some money.

I hit up my homies for some lobangs and found out that a couple of them were working as food delivery riders for Deliveroo, foodpanda, and GrabFood. And it was perfect. I had a bike, the working hours are flexible, and lastly, I heard that if you were to take it seriously, you can earn something like $2,000 a month.

And that’s pretty decent considering that it’s just riding around, delivering food.

Tempted riiiiight?

Whether you’re waiting for school to start, or just want a side gig to earn some cash, this one is for all of you out there who can’t decide which food delivery company to work with.

Also, a big shoutout to my friends Mr B, Mr K, Mr M, Mr N, and Mr W, for sharing their information and knowledge!

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TL:DR: Which Company Is The Best For Food Delivery Riders?

• Best Pay Scheme (Can Earn The Most): foodpanda
• Most Delivery Methods: GrabFood
• Most Flexible Schedule: GrabFood
• Best Perks And Incentives: Depends
• Most Relaxed Food Delivery Rider Requirements: Deliveroo and foodpanda

Conclusion? The company that is best is probably the one with the benefit that matters most to you. I know, I know… Like #lame. But it’s true what…

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To make your life easier, I decided to break down the three biggest food delivery companies out there into five different categories which I believe most people would really care about. These are all things that matter when deciding which food delivery company to work for.

But of course, you still have to do your own research before choosing which company is best!

1. Food Delivery Company Pay Schemes

This is probably the most important factor which will influence your decision.

However, you should note that the pay schemes and structures change quite regularly, so the following information should only be used as a guide. Also, I’m aware that some companies have old schemes which are still in effect. But for the sake of simplicity, I’m just gonna focus on the most current ones. #dontsayneversay

1) Deliveroo

Here’s the break down for how Deliveroo’s food delivery riders are paid:

1. Pick-Up Fee = the fee you receive once you collect the food from the restaurant
2. Delivery Fee = the fee you will receive once you successfully deliver the food to the customer
3. Variable Distance Fee = so as to compensate for deliveries that require riders to travel longer distances
4. Incentives During Peak Times
5. +$1 extra for motorcycle riders

The minimum total delivery fee is set at $5 per delivery for cyclists and $6 per delivery for motorcyclists. But this is reviewed every month – taking into account customer demands – to ensure that riders earn competitive fees.

The incentives during peak times look something like this:

2) foodpanda

As of 28 January 2019, foodpanda has been on an Order-based Service Fee structure. To put it simply, the more you deliver, the more you earn!

When riders first start with foodpanda, they will be given a score that determines which Batch they belong to. New riders will automatically be placed in Batch 2 to give them a chance to book their shifts earlier. However, they will still be paid Batch 4 rates until their second scoring cycle – to be fair to the current Batch 2 riders, of course.

But don’t worry. Your Batch Number will be updated every Sunday evening.

So why should you be concern about being in a higher Batch (ie. Batch 1 or 2)? As a rider in a higher Batch, you get:

1. Higher pay per delivery
2. Priority to choose shifts (lower Batches have to choose from whatever leftover shifts they can get)

foodpanda food delivery riders also need to take note of the High Demand (HD) Areas, which changes every week. The minimum base docket (aka Batch 4 riders) will earn $6:

There’s also a quest incentive for foodpanda food delivery riders:

Again, it’s pretty straightforward stuff. The more you deliver, the more you earn.

3) GrabFood

As recent as 2 May 2019, GrabFood changed their pay structure to one which looks like this:

1. Base Fare
2. Distance Fare
3. Gem Incentives (Zone Boost & Weekly Gem Quest)

For the Base Fare:

• PMD or bicycle = $2 per delivery
• Motorcycle = $3 per delivery

Based on my friend’s agar-ation, the Distance Fare per delivery is something like this:

• 1.5km and below = $3
• 1.5 to 3.5km = $4
• 3.5 to 4.5km = $5
• 4.5km and above = $6

Zone Boost Gems

Gems are tabulated daily and will be converted to cash at a rate of $1 per 20 gems, or $0.05 per gem. Based on the area that you’re working in, a different number of gems will be awarded for different orders. Here’s what the distribution looks like:

You can see that if you worked in Downtown on a Saturday, you’ll earn 50 gems for each order that you complete within 5 to 9pm.

Weekly Gem Quest

On top of the Zone Boost Gems, each trip will earn you one gem (the rates are slightly different from the Zone Boost Gems). If you complete a minimum number of trips throughout the week, the gems you collect can be translated into a payout like so:

The gems you earn will differ depending on whether you work on a weekday or weekend, and they’ll change every week. Oh, and in order to qualify for this quest incentive you have to have a minimum of 80% acceptance rate.

Which probably works best for those who are out there hustlin’ to get the dough (aka me).

So… Who Pays The Most For One Day Of Work?

Here’s my simulation:

• Day and Time = Saturday, 5pm to 9pm
• Completed Deliveries = 30 orders within that time period
• Location = Central
• Transport = Motorcycle
• Variable Distance Fee or Distance Fare = $4 (to simplify things)

Deliveroo

foodpanda

FYI: I’m going to take the Batch 4 fees to make a more realistic estimate.

GrabFood

Verdict: foodpanda for the win.

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2. Food Delivery Methods

Here’re the options available:

You’ll be surprised. Sometimes walking to a place is faster than riding.

Verdict: GrabFood for versatility.

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3. Flexibility Of Schedule

Deliveroo

Deliveroo riders work on a shift system.

There are no minimum working hours but if you work continuously and do more shifts, you’ll get a higher score. A higher score means you’ll be placed in a higher tier:

• Tier 1 @ 11am
• Tier 2 @ 3pm
• Tier 3 @ 5pm

Tier 1 riders get to choose the next-day shifts at 11am, while Tier 2 riders get to choose from 3pm onwards, and Tier 3 riders get the scraps at 5pm.

If you’re wondering why this info can’t be found anywhere on the Deliveroo site, the above top secret info was given to me by my abang!

foodpanda

Even though there aren’t any minimum hours to meet. The more shifts you do, the higher score you get and the higher your Batch Number will be.

And that’s great because a higher Batch Number means higher pay and higher priority when choosing shifts.

If you’re wondering how the shift booking system works, here goes:

• Batch 1 @ 10am
• Batch 2 @ 1pm
• Batch 3 @ 3pm
• Batch 4 @ 5pm
• Others @ Next Day

Similar to Deliveroo, it means that when the next-day shifts are available, Batch 1 riders get to choose their slots at 10am, Batch 2 riders get to choose from 1pm onwards, and so on and so forth. If most of the shifts are taken, then tough luck for the Batch 4 riders.

GrabFood

Basically OTOT (Own Time Own Target).

There’re no minimum hours to clock.

This means that you can work for an hour a day and cover one order. Then take a 3-month break before coming back to do one more order. You can do so freely without feeling the pinch of being stuck in a lower tier like with Deliveroo and foodpanda.

Verdict: GrabFood for flexibility.

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4. Food Delivery Rider Perks And Incentives

Deliveroo

• You keep 100% of your tips
• Rider community events
• Rider Referral Bonus
• Cancellation After-Pick Up – $3 per order

foodpanda

• You keep 100% of your tips
• Team events like movie screenings, dinners, bbq, futsal tournaments etc.
• Rider Referral Bonus

• Cancellation At Vendor – Riders will receive $2.50 whenever they arrive at a closed vendor
• Cancellation After-Pick Up – $3 per order
• Large Order Bonus – Additional $3 per order
• Very Large Order Bonus – Additional $3 per order on top of your Large Order Bonus

GrabFood

• You keep 100% of your tips
• ERP charges incurred on route from restaurant to customer are reimbursed
• Gem incentives to earn more

Verdict: Depends on what matters to you

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5. Food Delivery Rider Requirements

foodpanda

• > 18 years old
• SG Citizen or PR
• Have a working smartphone (iPhone 4S and above or Android 4.2 and above)
• No need 1-year riding experience and commercial insurance
• LTA registration for PMD

Deliveroo

• > 18 years old
• SG Citizen or PR
• Have a working smartphone (iOS10 or Android 5.0)
• No need 1-year riding experience and commercial insurance
• LTA registration for PMD

GrabFood

• > 18 years old
• SG Citizen or PR
• Have a working smartphone
• Need 1-year riding experience + commercial insurance
• LTA registration for PMD

Verdict: foodpanda and Deliveroo have the least stringent requirements.

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Overall Comparison Of Food Delivery Companies

Here’s a table for ease of comparison:

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Closing Thoughts

It doesn’t really seem like there’s a clear winner with regard to which is the best food delivery company to work for.

But I’m doing this for the dough… so I’m choosing foodpanda.

Which food delivery service is your favourite? Let us know in the comments below.