New rider initiatives at Deliveroo include the launch of a personal safety app Busby, training courses on scooter road safety, Red Cross First-Aid Training and a Weekly Safety Content Calendar
From October 2021, Deliveroo Hong Kong will recognise the month of October as ‘Rider Safety Month’, raising awareness towards on-road safety for Deliveroo riders. The month-long campaign will cover a series of new safety initiatives as Deliveroo ramps up its existing commitment to providing a smooth and safe delivery journey while the fleet of 10,000 riders on the road. New initiatives offered in October include a series of Scooter Class that covers weather safety and defensive driving, free and exclusive premium access to the personal safety app Busby and a calendar of weekly safety-related content through Roosletter and Telegram. In addition to the new courses, Deliveroo has extended partnership with the Red Cross to offer First-Aid Training to equip riders with life-saving skills and confidence to deal with emergencies.
Deliveroo has led the food delivery industry with progressive policies as a brand committed to social responsibility, providing riders with flexible working hours and health and welfare benefits. The latest rider survey revealed that 85% of riders are ‘satisfied’ or ‘very satisfied’ riding with Deliveroo, citing flexibility and convenience as the key advantages of working for the app. In addition, since May 2018, Deliveroo has offered first-of-its-kind accident and injury insurance to all riders free of charge. The added security provided to riders in the event of an injury helps maintain the flexible working conditions they value from the food delivery giant.
"We were provided with really insightful feedback from our fleet about what they’d like to see improved in our operations, and safety classes were mentioned several times. So, we’re now rolling out new and tailored safety sessions that offer assistance and enriching content.”
Karl Bachian, Operations Director, Deliveroo Hong Kong, said, “We’re always exploring new ways to enhance awareness and safety measures for our riders because ultimately they’re at the very heart of everything we do here at Deliveroo. Earlier, we were provided with really insightful feedback from our fleet about what they’d like to see improved in our operations, and safety classes were mentioned several times. So, we’re now rolling out new and tailored safety sessions that offer assistance and enriching content.”
With equal importance being placed on the safety and wellbeing of Deliveroo riders and the Hong Kong community, all Deliveroo riders have to complete an introductory road safety guidance programme as part of its comprehensive onboarding sessions. In addition, Deliveroo also regularly conducts safety campaigns, where the company provides advice and support to riders. ‘Rider Safety Month’ is the latest extension of the company’s dedication to safety, with the following new initiatives being rolled out:
Defensive riding courses
Deliveroo has partnered with Fai Sir Motorbike to provide a series of four one-hour scooter classes on road safety topics such as navigating the road under severe weather conditions, defensive driving, delivery tips and preventative scooter maintenance tips, as well as advice to new drivers. The courses will launch later this month and will be open to 20 riders per session, with 80 slots in total. Deliveroo plans to extend the programmes to a quarterly initiative, pending rider feedback.
Global safety app
Deliveroo’s rider survey shows that 66% of riders usually provide feedback through rider surveys and hotlines. An additional 55% expressed that they found it to be ‘quite’ and ‘very’ helpful. To offer always-on protection, enhance rider safety and prevent incidents, the firm has rolled out the Busby app this month, giving complimentary premium access to its riders. Regardless of their vehicle type, all active Deliveroo riders in Hong Kong can benefit from the app’s multi-layered safety functions such as:
- Ask Others Close By for Help: Offering help to riders from Busby users when a rider breaks down while working and needs immediate support
- Hazard alerting: Hazards and areas such as blind spots or potholes can be reported in the app. All Busby users will receive proactive alerts of the hazardous information to prevent riders from exposing to the risks.
- Panic Button: Busby enables riders to activate the panic button when they feel unsafe, and their location will be shared with all emergency contacts immediately.
- RoadRadar: Busby alerts nearby RoadRadar drivers (such as drivers of trucks, lorries and cars) when Deliveroo riders are nearby to prevent incidents and enhance safety.
- Incident Detection: Busby monitors sensors via the phone if a rider is involved in a road incident. If a rider is unresponsive, Deliveroo’s dedicated Rider Support team will be alerted automatically, alongside the rider’s emergency contacts.
Equipping riders with skills they need
As an extension of the global initiative from Deliveroo, during Riders Safety Month, Deliveroo riders receive first aid courses to step up the brand’s social responsibility. The course aims to equip participants with life-saving and wound dressing skills and the confidence for dealing with emergencies, including scenarios such as finding someone unresponsive, badly injured or unable to breathe. An introduction to automated external defibrillators and cardiopulmonary resuscitation instruction will also be provided.
Keeping riders in the know
For October, the Deliveroo team has created a Weekly Content Calendar featuring road safety-related content for the Deliveroo fleet. In addition, riders will receive new tips and tricks on road safety via infographics, videos and more through the Deliveroo newsletter, Roosletter, as well as on messaging platforms such as Telegram. Mr Kwong, a 64-year-old Deliveroo rider who recently attended a recent Red Cross training, said, “This is a fantastic initiative that not only trains riders such as myself with first aid knowledge but empowers us to take on life-saving skills such as how to dress a medical wound. These life-saving skills are essential when one works on the road every day, and I am confident that the skills taught by the Red Cross can help assist us if we encounter emergency situations.”
Paul Arkwright
Publisher
