The traffic situation can sometimes be so bad that we try to avoid being on the road as much as possible. It is during these instances that we call the services of food delivery professionals, or even on-demand freight/ motorcycle taxi providers to save us time and effort, particularly if we just want to grab a quick bite or need to pick something up. These brave men and women willingly ride through the heavy traffic more often than we do in order to provide us with food, courrier services, and many others in these busy times.
Being a driver of 4-wheels myself, I can attest that our daily commute, whether on a car or bike, is no different from these gentlemen: we all ride/drive the same roads, put up with the same traffic, and even encounter the same a-hole drivers that sometimes just don't give a damn about other motorists.
Recent social media posts have maligned these valiant service providers for their supposed reckless driving, tardiness, and a variety of other excuses. Some of these riders have even answered back with their own accounts of how their accusers have been reckless and inconsiderate.
Rather than take sides, we offer up some tips to make sharing the road with these service providers much more harmonious. Keep these in mind when encountering motorcycle delivery riders of fast food chains, or services like Grab, Lalamove, or even Angkas:
Understand their situation
Most of these riders have their respective delivery times and service guarantees to meet. It's not just about getting food or a package somewhere, they're also under time pressure. Some of these services even sanction the rider if they're late. In other cases, they're offered more incentives the more trips they make. Whether this is fair or not is for another discussion. What we can do is understand their plight and make their difficult jobs a little easier if it doesn't cost us anything.
Give them enough room to filter
Many delivery services rely heavily on a motorbike's ability to squeeze through most heavy traffic situations. If you're in a car, staying in the center of your lane usually leaves more than enough room for a motorcycle to pass through on either side. If you prefer, you can even choose the side you'd rather have them pass by giving them more room on one side. Don't stick too close to the car ahead to leave them enough room to squeeze in between your car and the car in front to change lanes. It takes very little effort to give them just a few inches of room. After you let them through, they're out of your space immediately, rather than tailgating and constantly honking at you to give them room.
If on a motorcycle and a delivery rider is tailing you, move to the side. Chances are, he simply wants to pass you. Move over and give him the signal to pass.
In many of these cases, these riders simply want to get by and won't give you any more trouble once they're through. You only lose a few seconds by giving them some room.
Give them some slack
Many of these riders put their lives and livelihood at risk working for these services. Most of the time, the motorcycles are their own, and these services offer little in the way of insurance or benefits for these riders, particularly in the event of an accident. For Grab Food riders, many of them use their own money to buy the food and drink you've just ordered. Just because they're late a few minutes, give them a chance. If you cancel your order after they've already bought it, they have no way of being reimbursed for it. They also have mouths to feed back home and a canceled order could mean that their families are going to sleep without having dinner. Weather and other acts of nature often aren't factored in either. Additional delays caused by a sudden heavy downpour or a flat tire can hurt their scores, commissions, etc. So just give them some slack. There's no delivery rider that wants to be late on purpose. It is usually out of their control.
If you find commuting from home to work and back twice a day bad enough, imagine how these guys feel braving the traffic several times a day to get you your food or package.
Just ask yourself: what would I do if I were in his shoes?
Always be considerate. Ride and drive safely gents!
