These days, nearly half the traffic on city roads is accounted for by
Ola, Uber, Zomato, Swiggy, Food Panda etc. delivery people (although,
these exploited lot are invariably men, I call them 'people' and not
'boys', to suppress the fact that there are myriad ways other than
gender in which members of the society are exploited, and these
contribute as strongly as gender, if not more strongly, to the unfair
society we have built. But heck, let me not digress!).
The management of
these companies seem to incentivise quick service. I don't know if they
do so by rewarding larger number of services in less time, or
penalising delays. But for sure they have some such mechanism. And
therefore, these organisations can't just turn their eyes away from the
fact that their drivers and delivery people drive very rashly, break
traffic rules left and right, and make the road a dangerous place to
venture out to for others and themselves.
I won't do the due diligence, and will assume that these companies are
founded and run by some young entrepreneurs who are respected and proud
for their good academic/professional pedigree. They must be going around
giving talks and interviews about work ethic, good organisation
culture, entrepreneurial instincts, sustainability and 'giving it back
to the society'. I think, they should stop being hypocrites and look
squarely at the unfairness and exploitation their ventures are built on.
This system considers its drivers and delivery people as cannon
fodders.
I don't want to send anyone on a guilt trip, but
consumers of these services, who don't think twice before calling a taxi
or ordering a meal, should also pause and reflect for a moment on what
role they have to play in this game of exploitation.
The big
people who are running these companies should take it upon themselves to
see what they can do to make it possible for taxi drivers and delivery
people to drive safely. If possible, this mechanism shouldn't all be
technology driven surveillance systems cracking down on violations, but
should be based on basic humanitarianism.
Here's a few simple questions:
- Can you institute a reward for drivers or deliver boys who drive safely?
- Can you absorb the losses caused due to delays (traffic, kitchen) which are not in the hands of your drivers or delivery people?
