Platform-based food delivery in Paris before and during the pandemic: profile, motivations and mobility patterns of couriers

Abstract

Background Platform-based fast delivery is developing rapidly in many cities across the world, especially in the food sector. Yet knowledge about the characteristics and the activity patterns of delivery couriers is scarce, especially in terms of their mobility behavior. Methodology Based on two questionnaire surveys conducted in 2020 and 2021 with 300 and 500 couriers respectively, this article analyses the profiles, motivations and mobility patterns of couriers working in Paris (France), with a focus on the impacts of the pandemic. Results First, the analysis of the profiles and motivations of couriers reveals that platform-based delivery is largely a temporary activity performed by young males of foreign origin, and undertaken as a student job or an entry to the labor market. Second, data on mobility patterns confirm that platform-based delivery is a dangerous activity with a high risk of road accidents. Moreover, many couriers break the law in order to increase their income by using motorized two-wheelers that are not legally permitted in France. We also show the use of shared bikes, which seems to be a great support tool for couriers who are starting work in this sector or have a problem with their own bikes. Third, the pandemic prompted many students to become platform-based delivery couriers in order to compensate for the lack of student jobs. It also worsened the working conditions of the majority of platform-based couriers. These findings raise new urban policy challenges and also new avenues for research in terms of topics and methods.

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Citizen‐rentier‐ship: Delivering the Undocumented to Labour Platforms in Paris

“…As Altenried (2023) has argued, the platform economy as we know it would not exist without migrant labour. In a recent study, researchers found that, in 2021, Paris' couriers were 86% foreign nationals (Aguilera and al. 2022).…”

“…In a recent study, researchers found that, in 2021, Paris’ couriers were 86% foreign nationals (Aguilera and al. 2022). Moreover, 85% of them are from North Africa and Sub‐Saharan Africa, which speaks to France's colonial history.…”

What if delivery riders quit? Challenges to last-mile logistics during the Covid-19 pandemic

“…Notoriously precarious, hazardous, and stressful delivery jobs became even more onerous and dangerous during the pandemic ( Aguilera, Dablanc, Krier, & Louvet, 2022 ; Byun, Park, & Jeong, 2020 ; Cant, 2020 ; Vecchio, Tiznado-Aitken, Albornoz, & Tironi, 2022 ; Zheng et al, 2019 ). With a mass of people stuck at home in self-isolation ( Molloy et al, 2021 ; M. H. Nguyen, Armoogum, & Nguyen Thi, 2021 ; Zannat, Bhaduri, Goswami, & Choudhury, 2021 ), delivery persons were required to work longer hours than ever before while facing the risk of contracting Covid-19 from frequent contact with customers ( Hadden, 2020 ; Harris & Kirkham, 2021 ; Huang, 2021 ; Ortiz-Prado, Henriquez-Trujillo, Rivera-Olivero, Lozada, & Garcia-Bereguiain, 2021 ; Palmer, 2020 ; Puram, Gurumurthy, Narmetta, & Mor, 2021 ; Tran et al, 2022 ).…”