Borzo (erstwhile WeFast), a global intra-city delivery service, recently conducted a survey to gather insights on the increasing traffic congestion and its impact on the delivery experience for gig delivery riders. 86.8% of gig delivery riders surveyed said that the traffic congestion in their delivery area is high, while 13.2% delivery partners do not suffer from traffic congestion.
The survey findings aim to provide valuable insights into the challenges such as traffic and road conditions, incidents, delivery pressures, parking availability, and signal duration from the perspective of gig delivery riders.
The sample size of the Borzo survey was 5310 gig delivery partners.
Gig workers
Gig workers are independent contractors who work temporary or short-term jobs, typically in the service sector. They are not employees of the companies they work for, and they usually do not receive regular employee benefits.
Example; Food delivery riders use platforms like Swiggy, Zomato, and Dunzo to deliver food to customers. They typically use their own vehicles and are paid per delivery.
Key insights from the Borzo survey include;
- Traffic Situation Perception: According to the survey, 23.7% of the respondents reported that the traffic situation has worsened over the past year, while 21.8% think that there is an improvement. Additionally, 26% believed that the traffic situation remained as bad as before, and 28.4% considered it to be normal.
- Road Situation Perception: The survey also highlighted concerns regarding views on roads in the cities. Approximately 20.6% of the respondents reported a decline in road structure and situation, while 31% gig delivery riders noticed an improvement in roads compared to last year. However, 18.4% believed that road conditions remained as bad as before, and 30% considered them to be normal.
- Top Reasons for Slow Deliveries: The survey also gathered data on the top reasons that make deliveries slow. 55.5% of the respondents stated that traffic is the primary reason for slow deliveries. 26.4% gig delivery workers attribute road closure due to constructions as the reason for slow deliveries. 12% respondents state bad/uneven roads as a factor for slow deliveries. Other reasons comprised 6.6%.
- Factors Contributing to Traffic Congestion: When asked about the main factors contributing to traffic congestion in their delivery areas, respondents identified road construction (35.9%) and the high volume of vehicles on roads (39.2%) as the primary causes. Other contributing factors included uneven parking on roads (15.8%) and narrow lanes (6%). Other reasons comprised 3.1%.
- Accidents and Near-Miss Experiences: The survey revealed that 55.5% of the delivery riders have been involved in traffic accidents or near-miss incidents while making deliveries. Whereas 44.5% respondents state that during deliveries they have not been involved in any untoward incidents.
- Delivery Pressures: The survey also examined the impact of delivery pressures on rider behavior. Results showed that 50.7% of the respondents admitted to occasionally speeding on their bikes due to the pressure of delivering fast. 49.3% riders state that they do not indulge in speeding while performing deliveries.
- Parking Availability and its relation with Traffic: A significant 89.9% of respondents believed that the lack of parking space contributes to traffic congestion on main roads in their delivery areas. This clearly calls for the need for improved parking infrastructure to enhance the efficiency of delivery operations.
- Long Signal Duration: The survey included an important aspect of signal duration and their impact on delivery operations. It revealed that 76.8% of the delivery riders felt that signals in their delivery areas tend to be longer, potentially affecting delivery timelines, whereas 23.2% do not agree with the same.
“The findings from this survey have given a fresh perspective of last-mile challenges faced by various delivery riders operating fleets for various players. Since the delivery radius and route of riders is similar during daily operations, there’s a need to relook at the challenges such as traffic congestion and management, signal duration, parking infrastructure, road conditions to greatly improve the efficiency of the last-mile logistics sector,” said Eugene Panfilov, GM, Borzo India.
“The challenges faced by delivery riders in meeting tight delivery timelines and the potential risks associated with time constraints, needs thorough consideration by the industry. By working towards some of these challenges, Borzo aims to ensure safety and efficiency of its delivery riders,” added Panfilov.
In India, Borzo has a fleet of over 80,000 delivery partners who serve the enterprise hyperlocal and SME segment.
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