London Daily

Focus on the big picture.
Thursday, Oct 30, 2025

Cost of living: Deliveroo and Uber couriers face uphill struggle

Cost of living: Deliveroo and Uber couriers face uphill struggle

Lots of us have been cutting down on treats as the cost of living has continued to rise.

It's meant luxuries like takeaways have become a rarity for many, and you might be more likely to catch the bus than take a taxi.

And this is having a knock-on effect on the people who'd usually deliver that pizza or drop us off after a night out.

Deliveroo rider Atlanta Martin says she's noticed people ordering less and has had to adapt to limit her costs.

"I delivered in a car for three years and now I've swapped to an e-bike," the 22-year-old says.

"Our pay hasn't gone up, sadly.

"So being on a bike, obviously I'm not spending on fuel, insurance, all of that."

Atlanta started riding in Worthing, near Brighton, during lockdown, sharing her trips on TikTok and YouTube, where she's grown her following to more than 50,000.

"Lockdown was great because it was so busy and the pay was slightly higher then, but it's dropped since," she says.


The TUC estimates more than 4 million people in the UK work in the gig economy

The Trades Union Congress (TUC) estimates that about 4.4 million people in the UK are platform gig economy workers - people who find jobs on apps like Deliveroo and Uber.

One of the main advantages these companies advertise is that working for them is like being your own boss.

You get to choose which jobs you do and when.

It can provide flexibility and you're in control of how much you earn based on how many deliveries or pick-ups you do. At least, that's the theory.

But there is a downside too - workers aren't paid expenses such as fuel, or for the time they spend waiting outside restaurants to pick up your meals.

Often, that can mean what drivers and riders earn falls below the UK National Living Wage, which is currently set at £9.50 an hour.

Atlanta lives with her partner which she said has cushioned the impact of rising prices.

Although her hourly rate can sometimes be as little as £3, she says it often balances out during busier times.

During the World Cup, for example, an increase in demand meant she could earn up to £35 an hour.

"You can make the money, I think you've just got to put in the hours," says Atlanta.

"And being on a bike now, obviously not having the extra expenses, has really made a difference."

Shaf Hussain says couriers have to take more risks to earn the same pay they got last year


Shaf Hussain has been working for Deliveroo and Uber Eats since he was 21, delivering takeaways and shopping.

"Most people, they have fun in their 20s, being like: 'Let's go out partying, let's go enjoy life," says the 28-year-old Londoner.

"I was working as a courier most of my 20s, and now I haven't had a holiday in seven years."

Since the cost-of-living crisis hit, "we're working a lot more for a lot less," he says.

Like Atlanta, he's noticed fewer orders being made, meaning less work is available to him.

Depending on how busy it is, Shaf says he can make anywhere between £6 to £15 an hour, "but there's always a cost for that".

He lives with his parents to save money but hopes to one day soon have a place of his own.

He says he puts pressure on himself to work a lot more - often meaning he has to weigh up his safety and wellbeing against his need for income.

After several accidents over the years, Shaf has avoided working in poor weather.

But, due to rising prices, he's now having to reconsider.

"Working in the snow, working in bad weather conditions is a risk," he says.

"And for us to take a day off, that means the next day we have to then go even harder than what we would normally.

"To take one day off we need to work two days essentially."

Unions want to see greater support for gig economy workers


The TUC and other unions want to see greater protections for workers like Shaf and Atlanta who they say miss out on basic working rights.

These include things like holiday pay, sick pay and pensions.

One of those joining the calls is the IWGB, which describes itself as the union for people in insecure jobs.

It found three quarters of platform gig economy workers were having to increase their working hours due to the cost-of-living crisis.

Its research, based on a small survey of 266 gig workers, suggests that about half of respondents had seen a reduction in their monthly pay.

Among those who responded, some said they were earning hundreds of pounds less each month.

The TUC says it is difficult to obtain data about gig economy workers because they're described as self-employed, making understanding the problems facing the workforce a challenge.

Deliveroo says there has been a small decline in the number of orders on the app towards the end of 2022.

Shaf and Atlanta both say on their current pay they'd struggle to afford to live on their own, but neither plan to leave the industry any time soon.

Last year, some couriers held a demonstration calling for better pay and safety and Deliveroo responded to say the vast majority were happy with the firm.

A spokesperson told BBC Newsbeat it was proud to offer flexible work to 90,000 riders in the UK and that it had recently signed an agreement with the GMB Union to guarantee riders the national living wage.

The BBC also contacted Uber, which said the "vast majority" if its couriers were satisfied with their experience on the app.

"However we regularly engage with couriers to look at how we can improve their experience," the company added.

Newsletter

Related Articles

0:00
0:00
Close
UK and Vietnam Sign Landmark Migration Deal to Fast-Track Returns of Irregular Arrivals
UK Drug-Pricing Overhaul Essential for Life-Sciences Ambition, Says GSK Chief
Princesses Beatrice and Eugenie Temporarily Leave the UK Amid Their Parents’ Royal Fallout
UK Weighs Early End to Oil and Gas Windfall Tax as Reeves Seeks Investment Commitments
UK Retail Inflation Slows as Shop Prices Fall for First Time Since Spring
Next Raises Full-Year Profit Guidance After Strong Third-Quarter Performance
Reform UK’s Lee Anderson Admits to 'Gaming' Benefits System While Advocating Crackdown
United States and South Korea Conclude Major Trade Accord Worth $350 Billion
Hurricane Melissa Strikes Cuba After Devastating Jamaica With Record Winds
Vice President Vance to Headline Turning Point USA Campus Event at Ole Miss
U.S. Targets Maritime Narco-Routes While Border Pressure to Mexico Remains Limited
Bill Gates at 70: “I Have a Real Fear of Artificial Intelligence – and Also Regret”
Elon Musk Unveils Grokipedia: An AI-Driven Alternative to Wikipedia
Saudi Arabia Unveils Vision for First-Ever "Sky Stadium" Suspended Over Desert Floor
Amazon Announces 14 000 Corporate Job Cuts as AI Investment Accelerates
UK Shop Prices Fall for First Time Since March, Food Leads the Decline
London Stock Exchange Group ADR (LNSTY) Earns Zacks Rank #1 Upgrade on Rising Earnings Outlook
Soap legend Tony Adams, long-time star of Crossroads, dies at 84
Rachel Reeves Signals Tax Increases Ahead of November Budget Amid £20-50 Billion Fiscal Gap
NatWest Past Gains of 314% Spotlight Opportunity — But Some Key Risks Remain
UK Launches ‘Golden Age’ of Nuclear with £38 Billion Sizewell C Approval
UK Announces £1.08 Billion Budget for Offshore Wind Auction to Boost 2030 Capacity
UK Seeks Steel Alliance with EU and US to Counter China’s Over-Capacity
UK Struggles to Balance China as Both Strategic Threat and Valued Trading Partner
Argentina’s Markets Surge as Milei’s Party Secures Major Win
British Journalist Sami Hamdi Detained by U.S. Authorities After Visa Revocation Amid Israel-Gaza Commentary
King Charles Unveils UK’s First LGBT+ Armed Forces Memorial at National Memorial Arboretum
At ninety-two and re-elected: Paul Biya secures eighth term in Cameroon amid unrest
Racist Incidents Against UK Nurses Surge by 55%
UK Chancellor Rachel Reeves Cites Shared Concerns With Trump Administration as Foundation for Early US-UK Trade Deal
Essentra plc: A Closer Look at a UK ‘Penny Stock’ Opportunity Amid Market Weakness
U.S. and China Near Deal to Avert Rare-Earth Export Controls Ahead of Trump-Xi Summit
Justin time: Justin Herbert Shields Madison Beer with Impressive Reflex at Lakers Game
Russia’s President Putin Declares Burevestnik Nuclear Cruise Missile Ready for Deployment
Giuffre’s Memoir Alleges Maxwell Claimed Sexual Act with Clooney
House Republicans Move to Strip NYC Mayoral Front-Runner Zohran Mamdani of U.S. Citizenship
Record-High Spoiled Ballots Signal Voter Discontent in Ireland’s 2025 Presidential Election
Philippines’ Taal Volcano Erupts Overnight with 2.4 km Ash Plume
Albania’s Virtual AI 'Minister' Diella Set to 'Birth' Eighty-Three Digital Assistants for MPs
Tesla Unveils Vision for Optimus V3 as ‘Biggest Product of All Time’, Including Surgical Capabilities
Francis Ford Coppola Auctions Luxury Watches After Self-Financed Film Flop
Convicted Sex Offender Mistakenly Freed by UK Prison Service Arrested in London
United States and China Begin Constructive Trade Negotiations Ahead of Trump–Xi Summit
U.S. Treasury Sanctions Colombia’s President Gustavo Petro over Drug-Trafficking Allegations
Miss USA Crowns Nebraska’s Audrey Eckert Amid Leadership Overhaul
‘I Am Not Done’: Kamala Harris Signals Possible 2028 White House Run
NBA Faces Integrity Crisis After Mass Arrests in Gambling Scandal
Swift Heist at the Louvre Sees Eight French Crown Jewels Stolen in Under Seven Minutes
U.S. Halts Trade Talks with Canada After Ontario Ad Using Reagan Voice Triggers Diplomatic Fallout
Microsoft AI CEO: ‘We’re making an AI that you can trust your kids to use’ — but can Microsoft rebuild its own trust before fixing the industry’s?
×