As the mercury went into the mid-40s across swathes of Australia this week, many people sheltered indoors, with the air con blasting.
In cities like Melbourne, many ordered food and cold drinks to be delivered to their homes, to avoid suffering the heat.
Those delivering their food weren’t so lucky.
In the words of one Melbourne delivery rider, who brought food to homes and offices by bicycle in near 45C temperatures on Tuesday, it was exhausting: the air was “so hot” and the heat radiating from the pavement made it feel even worse.
While many Australians can choose to work from home or stay indoors during a heatwave, delivery riders face a dilemma: go to work and risk their health, or stay home and lose money.
Demand for deliveries increases during a heatwave – but so does the risk from the sun and scorched roads, compounded by heavy and insulated protective clothing.
Delivery rider Stef, who asked that his surname not be published, says he has worked through many heatwaves in Sydney’s CBD over the past two years.
The hardest part is “beginning work” and trying to find time to take breaks when needed, he says.
He tries to “stick to the shadows” for sun protection.
“The industry needs more protections,” he says. “Some apps have unreasonable time limits for deliveries, otherwise [breaches can result in] permanent bans.”
Experts say this needs to change – especially as the climate crisis increases the risk of more frequent and longer heatwaves.
Orders rise as temperatures soar
Research shows food delivery orders rise when temperatures soar or during heavy rain, says the law professor Amelia Thorpe from the University UNSW, who interviewed more than 50 delivery cyclists in Sydney and Melbourne.
This is supported by research from China, where the issue has been examined closely.
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“The frequent occurrence of extreme high temperatures in summer and the exacerbation of the urban heat island effect highlight the outdoor heat exposure issues faced by delivery riders,” concludes one study, published in the peer-reviewed Energy and Buildings journal.
“During the hottest midday hours, people tend to avoid going out to reduce the risk of heat exposure, which increases the number of food delivery orders and thereby further increases the workload and heat exposure risk for delivery riders.”
Alexi Edwards says she has worked through “brutal” sweat and exhaustion as a food delivery rider in Perth, often during 40C days, wearing heavy clothing.
The 29-year-old only stopped delivering Uber orders by bicycle after a crash – initially switching to an electric scooter before eventually using a car with air conditioning.
“If you come off that bike, you are going to tear up every limb of your body if you’re not wearing a jacket,” Edwards says.
“But if it’s higher than 20C, you’re overheating in the PPE gear.”
Uber says its riders are provided with “mandatory onboarding education and ongoing safety information to help delivery people make informed decisions” while using the Uber Eats app.
But a spokesperson adds that it’s left to the riders to assess the risks.
“Uber Eats delivery people are independent contractors with the flexibility to choose when and how they work, and we encourage them to always put their own safety first,” the spokesperson says.
A DoorDash spokesperson says: “We have a number of safety protocols in place to support Dashers making deliveries including in different weather conditions.
“We send regular reminders to Dashers on ways to stay safe while on the road, including tips on dashing during extreme heat,” they say, adding they can suspend operations in certain areas during extreme weather events.
However, according to Dr Tyler Riordan – a postdoctoral research fellow at the University of Queensland – many riders are migrants, who may lack experience in dealing with Australia’s climate risks.
He says delivery drivers and riders “lack employee protections” because they are classified as independent contractors and paid per delivery.
“It is up to each individual to look after themselves,” he says.
“[Heatwaves] can be problematic for delivery workers who are incentivised, through algorithmic management, to work quickly in order to make it profitable.”
Push for change
As the climate crisis makes heatwaves more common, some experts are urging an overhaul of how Australia protects its workforce from extreme heat.
Dr Elizabeth Humphrys, the project coordinator of the University of Technology Sydney’s Too Hot to Work project, says the reliance on “old policies, procedures and training” is no longer fit for purpose.
She calls for a nationally coordinated plan that includes mandatory temperature cutoffs across all industries.
“Construction unions have won that protection in their enterprise agreements, it cuts off at 35C in New South Wales and differs from state to state,” she says.
She says Australia should ensure delivery riders and other vulnerable workers aren’t forced to choose between their health and a paycheck when temperatures spike.
“A cyclist working for Uber Eats is not given more [paid] time on a hot day to cool down or rehydrate,” she says.
In 2023, architecture student Andrew Copolov created a Gig Workers’ Hub in Melbourne’s CBD, where delivery workers could access a safe space for a break with food, drinks, phone chargers, bathrooms and job resources.
But the trial, in collaboration with the City of Melbourne, closed due to lack of secure, long-term funding. A City of Melbourne spokesperson says there are no immediate plans to reintroduce the Gig Workers’ Hub.
Copolov says efforts to create new hubs have emerged, with the NSW government committing to explore a gig workers’ hub in their recent night worker action plan.
Similar hubs can “emerge organically” through workers congregating through their own informal spaces, he says.
‘Unlike any other group of workers’
The Transport Workers’ Union (TWU) says 23 gig workers have been killed in Australia since 2017.
The figure could be higher, because some are never reported as workplace deaths.
Associate Prof Brendan Churchill, from the University of Melbourne, says delivery riders are “unlike any other group of workers out there”.
“Compare them to tennis players at the Australian Open, whose conditions are subject to ‘heat rules’ … they get support as the temperature rises, including longer breaks, closed roofs on stadiums,” he says. “Delivery riders don’t get anything.
“There’s no boss or regulator coming in to ensure they have rest, breaks, are kept cool.”
Emily McMillan, the TWU’s national assistant secretary, says delivery riders have long been affected by exploitative conditions. She is calling for swift implementation of standards for fair wages and adequate breaks, especially as “extreme weather events are only increasing”.
“We are now a step closer after a world-first agreement with Uber and DoorDash which will soon provide minimum standards … representing life-changing increases to their pay and important protections,” she says.
One of the other issues experts have cited is Australia’s cycling infrastructure.
Thorpe, the UNSW law professor, is now researching street governance at the Paris Institute for Advanced Study.
She says Australia’s approach to cycling logistics lags behind cities like London and Paris.
“As Australia gets hotter, we need more trees along our roads, with an emphasis on creating shade along footpaths and bike paths,” she says.
Riordan says customers can also play a part.
“This can start with ensuring we engage in respectful ways or reconsidering the need to send someone else out in the heat if we are not prepared to go ourselves,” Riordan says.
