What to do when delivering alcohol

Sometimes you might have to deliver an order which includes alcohol. This can be quite intimidating because you are the one who has to check their IDs, which is a first for many people. Here’s what Deliveroo say in the matter:

deliveroo signup
A glass of cold beer
  1. When you’re offered the order you’ll be shown whether it contains age-restricted items.
  2. When you arrive at the customer tap Check age and the app will ask you if they look over 25.
    • If they look over 25 you can give them the order and mark it as delivered.
    • If they look 25 or younger, or you’re not sure how old they are, follow the next steps:
  3. Ask the customer for ID to check they are over 18.
  4. Look at the ID Card and look at the person offering the ID Card to verify that it is the same person.
  5. Confirm it is a valid and acceptable form of ID.

These are:

  • Passport
  • European Union photocard driving licence
  • Ministry of Defence Form 90 (Defence Identity Card)
  • Photographic identity card bearing the national Proof of Age Standards Scheme (PASS) hologram
  • National identity card issued by a European Union member state (other than the United Kingdom), Norway, Iceland, Liechtenstein or Switzerland
  • Biometric Immigration Document.

 

I hope this information helps.

 

I made £17 in one day working for Uber Eats

I had a very brief experience working with Uber Eats. It actually only lasted one day. Here’s the story.

After hearing rumors about higher wages and fewer cyclists at Uber Eats, I thought that I’d move over to the dark side. I headed over to the Uber offices in Westminster to signup. I ended up completing the process before I realized I had even started; it was over in a matter of seconds and they didn’t even ask me if I could ride a bike. I was also using a Deliveroo bag but they didn’t seem to care about that either. I opened up the app before lunch and waited for the flurry of orders to pile in. Guess what. They didn’t.

Uber eats
Spending time in the saddle.

At 7 pm I got my first order. A MacDonald’s Big Mac. Seeing as Deliveroo don’t work with MacDonald’s this was going to be a new experience. Long story short: it was dreadful. I cued for 20 minutes trying to get the order and the coke bottle spilled all over the inside of my bag whilst cycling (not Really MacDonald’s fault but it still pissed me off). I proceeded to get two more orders that night. When I finished it was 11 pm and I was fuming. I’d made £17 (which is pretty good for three orders), but these were some of the longest orders I had ever done.

Also, Ubereats don’t have any zones, which means I was delivering to the whole of London. Yes, they only give you orders which are near to you, but they don’t keep you in your zone. This meant that after three orders I was in central London and had to cycle almost an hour to get back home. Not what you want to do at 11 pm at night.

To be fair to Uber Eats they are a lot better than when I signed up, but I really think that they are more designed for motorcycles rather than for cyclists. Anyway, if you want to sign up for Deliveroo then you can get a £50 bonus using the link below!

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Read next: How much do Deliveroo pay?

Why you Shouldn’t use the Deliveroo Box

The Deliveroo box is the iconic symbol of the company. It can be spotted from miles away as a rider wobbles through the streets wearing it. Every rider has one, so what’s it really like to use one?

Deliveroo Rider

The Deliveroo box is huge. Actually, it’s massive. Cycling with this thing on is really as bad as it looks. When you’ve got a whole family’s Wagamama order stuffed in there, it’s hard enough just to get on the bike, let alone cycle through traffic to the other side of your zone. However, to be fair the box does have some good straps and a chest buckle to try and minimise the shaking around, but there are sometimes where this has little effect.

The other thing to notice is the price, it costs £50! Crazy! This is a price which came out of my paycheck right at the beginning (Deliveroo have now started helping riders out with the cost of the gear). The problem is that the quality is pretty poor. My zip tore off after a month of delivering. I couldn’t believe it! A £50 bag only lasting a month! I strapped a bungee around it to make it remain closed, but I do always wonder when the moment will come when that gives way and someone’s Nando’s is going to go flying all over the road.

The back is reflective which is good. The whole panel is this reflective material which shines bright like a diamond when a car’s headlights point at it. It’s actually a really clever safety feature which makes me feel a lot better when cycling in rush hour. I guess it kind of counteracts the danger of wearing such a huge bag.

The last annoying bit is the aerodynamics. This bag is like wearing a huge sail on your back. Any slight wind and you’ll feel like you’re trying to cycle up a mountain.

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But….

Deliveroo has come out with a new bag!

deliveroo box
The new Deliveroo bag

This is a roll top bag (much easier to fill) with the same reflective coating to it. Because it’s not a rigid box, it’s going to have a much better fit to your back (less shaking around) and it will be a lot more aerodynamic. Good on you Deliveroo!

Like this article? Read my post on how much the Deliveroo kit costs.

Can you actually make £120 a day with Deliveroo?

On the Deliveroo signup page, it very clearly says that riders can earn up to £120 per day. Yes, we do have to remember the inclusion of the “up to” part of that statement. But, it does make you think. Can you actually make £120 per day with Deliveroo?

Deliveroo
Will Deliveroo make you rich?

£120 per day is the equivalent to £43,800 a year!!!!

Seeing as the AVERAGE wage in the UK is £27,000, that’s a pretty big difference!

Yes, I know that figure of £43,800 is assuming you work 365 days of the year. But even if you only work 250 days of the year, you’re still going to make £30,000.

So, let’s break down how many orders you’d need to complete to make £120 in a day.

Assuming that you work the 3 hour rush hour at lunch time and then another 3 hours in the evening, that’s a total of 6 hours worked. So to make £120 in a day you’ll have to be making £20 an hour. I you’re on the old system of £7 and hour (+£1 for every delivery) then you’d need to make 13 orders every hour!! That’s 78 orders in one day!

If you’re on the new pay per delivery system it will be slightly easier. The fee varies on location but I’m going to calculate this using the London fee which is £3.75 per delivery. To make £120 you need to do 32 orders in one day, which is just over five orders per hour. This is much more manageable, and could definitely be done by a moped driver in busy areas. A cyclist would have to be seriously quick.

What I haven’t talked about here is tips, which I suppose could greatly increase your income (if you actually get any).

So, in conclusion, £120 per day is a pretty long stretch unless you’re a moped driver. But, if you’re delivering in some super ritzy area, your tips might blow your earnings sky high (I once made a £6 tip for cycling 100 metres from restaurant to customer!).

Enjoy this article? Check out my article on how much Deliveroo riders get paid.

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The Deliveroo Jacket – Everything you need to know

The Deliveroo jacket is the staple piece of uniform for all deliveroo cyclists. This is what keeps the riders dry, warm and shining like a fairy light as they zip through the streets with your Nandos. But are they really that good? Where can you find one if you’re not a deliveroo cyclist?

deliveroo jacket

Why I dumped the Deliveroo Jacket

When I signed up for Deliveroo I had to buy my own jacket for £40. Although you are allowed to use your own (non-Deliveroo) jacket, the specific requirements (material and level of reflectivity) they give you mean the Deliveroo jacket is basically the only one you can use. I wore it on my first few tips and found it pretty good. The jacket is pretty waterproof and the zips are made of some heavy duty waterproof coating. The reflective material is also insane; it’s the same as the stuff on the back of the deliveroo bag and really illuminates when a car’s lights shine on you. The one bad thing about the jacket is the breathability. After an hour of hard cycling, you’re guaranteed to be absolutely drenched…in sweat. It’s grim. It also isn’t the nicest for the customer when they see some dripping rider handing over their supper. For this reason, only I decided to swop it out for a much cheaper cycling jacket (you only have to meet the equipment requirements during the onboarding session, after that they won’t check what you’re using). I then proceeded to sell my old jacket for the same price as I bought it! Sorted!

This leads me to my next point: how to buy the jacket if you’re not a rider. The best way is eBay. Depop is also a good bet. Prices vary from £20-40 depending on size and how grim they are.

Check out my article on what kit you need for Deliveroo

New Deliveroo Referral Fees!

Deliveroo have recently updated their referral fees. They’ve decreased them! Nooooooo!!! Here’s the latest from Deliveroo on the new referral fees for riders.

👉Sign up here: deliveroo.com/free50signup

The following is from Deliveroo about their referral fees:

How do I refer a friend?

You can make extra money by referring your friends to come ride with us!

Share your code (available in the My referrals section of the app) and you can make up to £250 for each rider you refer, once they complete 20 orders. Your friend will also receive up to £50 after completing 20 orders.

These orders need to be completed within 90 days of your friend applying to ride with Deliveroo.

How much will I get paid for referring a friend?

The amount you receive is based on the city where you ride most (not the city where your friend wants to ride). It also varies based on the vehicle your friend wants to use. The referral fees can be found in the table below:

City Scooter/Car Cyclist
Aberdeen 150 50
Aberystwyth 250 100
Aylesbury 150 50
Bangor 150 50
Basingstoke 250 200
Bath 250 200
Belfast 250 200
Berkhamsted 250 100
Birmingham 250 100
Bournemouth 250 100
Bradford 250 200
Brentwood 250 100
Brighton 150 50
Bristol 150 50
Bury 250 200
Camberley 250 100
Cambridge 250 200
Canterbury 150 50
Cardiff 150 50
Chelmsford 150 50
Cheltenham 250 200
Chester 150 50
Chichester 250 200
Colchester 250 200
Cork 250 100
Coventry 250 100
Crawley 250 200
Derby 250 100
Dublin 150 50
Dundee 150 50
Durham 250 200
Edinburgh 250 100
Ellesmere Port 250 100
Exeter 250 200
Galway 250 100
Glasgow 150 50
Gloucester 250 200
Guildford 250 200
Harrogate 250 200
Hemel Hempstead 250 100
Hereford 250 200
High Wycombe 150 50
Hitchin 250 200
Horsham 250 200
Huddersfield 250 100
Hull 250 200
Inverness 250 100
Ipswich 150 50
Lancaster 150 50
Leeds 150 50
Leicester 150 50
Limerick 250 100
Lincoln 150 50
Liverpool 150 50
London 20 20
Loughborough 250 100
Maidstone 250 100
Manchester 150 50
Milton Keynes 250 200
Newcastle 150 50
Newport 250 100
Northampton 150 50
Norwich 150 50
Nottingham 150 50
Oxford 250 200
Perth- Scotland 250 200
Peterborough 150 50
Plymouth 250 100
Portsmouth 150 50
Reading 250 200
Reigate 250 200
Royal Leamington Spa 250 200
Royal Tunbridge Wells 250 200
Rugby 250 200
Salisbury 250 100
Sevenoaks 250 200
Sheffield 150 50
Shrewsbury 250 100
Slough 250 200
Southampton 150 50
Southend on sea 250 200
Southport 250 100
St Albans 150 50
St Andrews 150 50
Stirling 250 200
Stoke-on-Trent 250 100
Stratford upon Avon 250 200
Swansea 250 100
Swindon 250 100
Torquay 250 200
Watford 250 100
Winchester 250 100
Windsor 150 50
Woking 250 200
Worcester 250 100
York 250 200

 

When will I get my referral fee?

You’ll get your referral fee on the first fee date after the person you refer completes their 20th order within 90 days of their application.

 

Referral Terms & Conditions

Any rider (‘Referrer’) who refers a friend (‘Applicant’) to join Deliveroo will be eligible for a payment of up to £200 per bicycle rider* and £250 per scooter/motorbike/car rider once the Applicant has delivered 20 orders (‘Referral Reward’). The amount to be paid will depend on the city the Referrer and the vehicle of the Applicant.

Any Applicant who enters a valid referral code in their application form will be entitled to a £50 reward once they have completed 20 orders (“Applicant Reward”). The code must be entered into the application correctly by the Applicant in order to be valid as incorrect codes will not be recognised.

There is no limit to how many Applicants a Referrer can refer/ be paid out for if the appropriate criteria are met.

The Referral Reward and Applicant Reward will be paid on the next fee day following the date on which the Applicant completes its 20th order.

If the Applicant does not complete 20 orders within 90 days of application neither party will receive payment.

For both the Referrer and Applicant to receive their respective rewards, the Referrer must still work with Deliveroo and be able to receive orders when the Referral Reward and Applicant Fee become payable.

If the Applicant has previously worked with Deliveroo within the previous 3 months of their application date, neither the Referrer nor the Applicant will be eligible for any Reward.

The amount of Referral Rewards for both the Referrer and Applicant is subject to change at any time. The amount that will be paid for Referral Reward and Applicant Reward will be the amount that was advertised at the time the application was received by Deliveroo from the Applicant.

Read next: How much Deliveroo pays riders

Is Deliveroo Dangerous?

Ok, so a few people have been saying to me: “I’d love to start working for Deliveroo, but it’s just way too dangerous”, and it really got me thinking on the topic. I think that it’s fair to say that in the urban hierarchy of the streets, Deliveroo cyclists are probably on the same level as pigeons. No-one likes us, and I’m pretty sure that taxi drivers and motorcyclists go out of their way to knock us down. To them, we are just a nuisance who is needlessly blocking up their streets and causing an increase in road traffic. Not only that, but the countless videos online of Deliveroo cyclists jumping red lights or going on pavements really doesn’t give us a good name.

Deliveroo does provide (ehem..”sell”) some pretty decent safety gear (see my article here). The jacket is almost fully reflective and makes you shine bright like a diamond at night. The back of the backpack is also completely reflective which is great for cars coming up behind you. Deliveroo does also provide (for free this time) a bike helmet and lights. I’ve gotta say though the lights are the worst I’ve ever seen; they are basically just a couple of LEDs strapped to a bit of rubber, and they’re hard to see even if you look directly at them. If I were you, I’d buy a proper set of lights from Amazon because they really do have the biggest impact in making sure people see you. Helmets are also super important (even though people give you the “statistics say you’re safer without a helmet”), and the only Deliveroo provides is pretty basic but it does have a light in the back which is pretty neat. The final thing that Deliveroo do to keep you safe is a lovely little “ride safe” email every now again.

I think Deliveroo do as much as they can to keep their riders safe, but they can’t do anything about the actions of other drivers. Because Deliveroo riders spent so much time cycling, other drivers presume them to be an excellent cyclist and almost immune to crashes. This means they will drive a lot more aggressively around them, putting them in more danger than other cyclists. I’ve personally had many risky situations on the road, especially around London which is notorious for its awful cycle safety.

You shouldn’t be put off cycling for Deliveroo because of the safety issue. If you are a confident cyclist then you will have no problems, and it’s a good idea to do a few daytime sessions at first to get used to the job before you move to evening sessions. Another thing is to never look at your phone while cycling, it completely takes your concentration off the road and leaves you extremely vulnerable. This will become easier as you do the job more often and so don’t have to rely on the app navigation to get you everywhere. Anyways that’s my piece, and I hope you have a great time cycling for Deliveroo!!

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Is Deliveroo a Good Student Job?

I reckon about 80% of all Deliveroo riders are between 18 and 22. A lot of those being students. This is just from the people I’ve seen and met as a Deliveroo cyclist myself.

The job definitely has its perks, especially if you’re a student, but there are some points which may make you think twice about taking up this job.

Deliveroo Rider as Student

Pros

As a student you have to go to lectures (or so they say…), which means a normal job just won’t fit into your schedule. This means you need to find a shift based job (such as a bar job or Deliveroo). Ok. You could get a bar job, which is good in the winter when it’s freezing cold outside, but I can tell you from personal experience that any hospitality jobs are pretty shit (I only lasted 3 weeks before getting fired 😂). You don’t get to pick your shifts and you’ve always got someone shouting at you. This is where Deliveroo really does shine. You never have anyone shouting at you. It’s literally you, your bike and some banging tunes. No one telling you to mop the floor for the fifth time or to hurry up. If you want to take Deliveroo slow, be my guest, and if you want to bosh out 6 deliveries in an hour, you can do that too (and you’ll be rewarded for your hard work). Did you ever have it in school where you’re doing a group project and some dickhead sits in the corner doing nothing but gets the same credit as you? That pisses me off. But with Deliveroo, you’re being rewarded for how hard you work, so there’s not test in the corner dragging you down.

Also, if you’re not feeling up for doing Deliveroo that night (i.e. hungover), then you don’t have to! Easy as that. Turn the app on when you want to work, and close it when you’re done. Flexibility is the greatest perk of being a Deliveroo cyclist, especially if you’re a student and your week changes the whole time.

Cons

Deliveroo is not all sunshine and roses. There is a gritty side. The thing is that because you’re being paid per delivery, you’re kinda fucked if no one orders food. This isn’t much of a problem at uni because your local zone is probably stuffed full of hungry students. But, if you’re at the University of Highlands and Islands, you’re in a bit of a pickle.

Winters are also a problem. It’s just so cold. And this is where the flexible work can come and hit you in the back. If it gets cold, you’re probs just going to stay in for the night and not work. Which basically means you’re not gonna work for the whole winter, and so you’re not earning money. Whereas with another job you have to go in, and so there no need for self-motivation to go out and work.

Anyway. In my opinion, Deliveroo is the best job you can possibly get as a Student. The flexibility and good pay are really what makes it shine. Also, even if you sign up, there’s no requirement to do any work. So you might as well sign up and then at least you have a fun job ready to go whenever you want! Check out my sign up link below to get a £50 bonus (after you complete 20 deliveries).

Use referral code: NI132274

Day in the Life of a Deliveroo Cyclist

10am: Wake up and make some breakfast. It’s pretty late but my shift isn’t till 11:30 so I’ve got time to kill. I open my laptop and sort out some admin before getting ready for the day.

11:15am: I start cycling to my zone centre. Because of how busy Deliveroo is, I didn’t manage to get a job in my local neighbourhood and so have to work in the next door zone. It’s a nicer area but it still takes 15 minutes to get there.

11:30am: Open the app and go online. I sit down on a bench in the “waiting area” with a few other cyclists and hang around for the deliveries to come through. 10 minutes gone and still no deliveries. 30 minutes now. 50. One hour has gone by and I’m thoroughly frozen and wondering why I ever signed up to this job. Then a delivery comes through for a Wagamummas. It’s a short ride but at least it keeps me busy. After I drop of the steaming ramen at the customer’s house, I check the delivery section of the app. They didn’t give me a tip. As usual.

2:30pm: After having completed a couple more deliveries I head back home. I make lunch and then chill out. The nice thing about being a delivery cyclist is you usually have the afternoons off to relax and meet up with friends.

6:15pm: Off I go again, ready for the 6:30 shift.

6:30pm: As soon as I turn on the app a delivery comes through. Helen wants a Caesar salad from Pret a Manger. I start powering and complete the order in 10 minutes. Another order comes through. One after the next and I can almost see the money towering up in front of me. I come to a junction and a white van swerves in front of me without indicating, causing me to almost fly over the handlebars and straight into it. Holy shit. Breathe. I take the rest of the route slowly and carefully. This time I’m picking up a Kebab from Soul Flame, but they say I’m gonna have to wait 10 minutes. After 15 minutes I’m pretty pissed off but they hand it over and I’m on my way again. This time I check the app and realise I’ve topped up £7 of tips. Nice.

9:30pm: I cruise back home whilst banging out the tunes. The night is still young and even though I’m exhausted I should be able to make some drinks. I think about what I’ve earned tonight: £7 per hour plus 10 deliveries plus £7 tips leaves me with a tidy £38 profit. That should be enough for a pint in London.

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How much data does a Deliveroo rider need?

Seeing as your phone 📱 is always on and using your location during a shift, you might be wondering how much data you’re cracking through.

How much data does a Deliveroo rider need?

I would say that a typical Deliveroo rider would use about 2gb of data in a month. This includes all the data for your shifts (the odd evening shift and weekends) and while the app is running in the background when you’re not doing any orders.

For the more hardcore riders (people who are out delivering all day), I’d say this figure will go up to about 4gb of data a month. This is actually quite a lot when you think about it because this is just used on Deliveroo and doesn’t include any other personal uses of data. However, it should be covered by most phone contracts nowadays, so you’ll probably be fine unless you have the app running like 12 hours a day.

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