Food delivery riders question ban from passenger lifts at some CBD buildings

SINGAPORE: Every minute counts for food delivery riders in Singapore’s central business district, especially during the peak lunch hours when most of the day’s earnings are made.
But at some high-rise offices and condominiums downtown, riders are not allowed to take passenger lifts when making deliveries, and must use the service or cargo lift instead.
The wait for this lift, which is shared with other workers like cleaners, can lengthen the time needed to make a delivery. This reduces the number of orders riders can complete, and in turn, their earnings.
Mr Peter Yeo, 52 and a rider for seven years, said that during the peak lunch hours from 11am to 2pm, he can typically complete three to four deliveries an hour in the CBD, earning S$15 (US$11) an hour.
But waiting for the service lift can add 10 to 15 minutes to each delivery. If delays over multiple deliveries are compounded, this effectively halves the number of orders he can complete.
Mr Choo Yi Hung, 31 and a rider for six years, said delays caused by lift restrictions can cut up to 20 per cent of his overall earnings during lunchtime.
Another rider of nine years, who asked not to be named, has waited up to an hour to deliver an order using the service lift when he was not allowed to use the passenger lifts.
Some customers did not accept this as an explanation for delayed deliveries, and left him bad feedback and poor ratings on delivery platforms.
“We just send the food only. It’s not a big deal to take the passenger lift,” he told CNA during a rare pause in his afternoon while waiting for a customer’s order to be prepared.
All three riders told CNA that because of the expected delays, during peak hours, they decline all deliveries to addresses known to restrict riders from using passenger lifts.
Depending on the delivery platform, there is a limit to how many orders they can turn down before incurring a monetary penalty.
Buildings named by the riders include Bank of Singapore Centre at 63 Market Street, Mapletree Anson at 60 Anson Road and Oxley Tower at 138 Robinson Road.
This issue was recently raised by SGRiders, an advocacy group for delivery riders. In July, the group contacted OCBC, which owns and manages Bank of Singapore Centre, to make their concerns known in hopes of changing the practice at the building.
In a petition sent to the building management and seen by CNA, SGRiders said that food delivery riders are required to get passes to access the building and use the cargo lift to reach the offices.
At Bank of Singapore Centre, riders have to share one cargo lift that serves 22 floors with contractors and other delivery workers, which causes “significant delays” when delivering food, the group said.
In contrast, other visitors to the building are usually allowed to use passenger lifts, according to the petition signed by 16 riders.
“As food delivery riders are not carrying heavy equipment, we kindly request that you relook your building policy and allow us to use the passenger lifts,” the group wrote in the petition.
SGRiders added that “currently many food delivery riders avoid delivering” to Bank of Singapore Centre due to the lift restriction.
“We have also noticed that other buildings in the vicinity have recognised this potential issue and have allowed food delivery riders easier access to the office floors.”
OCBC Property Services’ centre manager Mr Alloysius Goh told CNA that service lifts are the “most efficient option” for the riders as passenger lifts at Bank of Singapore Centre are heavily used during peak hours.
“The service lift, which is also used by maintenance and parcel delivery personnel, is a natural choice given its proximity to parking facilities,” he said.
Tenants are also encouraged to meet delivery riders on the ground floor to collect food orders.
OCBC Property Services met some representatives from SGRiders, including Mr Yeo and Mr Choo, to discuss the matter on Jul 29.
Some potential solutions were discussed, Mr Goh said. 
The two riders described the meeting with OCBC Property Services as “productive”, and said their preferred solution is a drop-off point on the ground floor.
This would be the most time-saving option as riders need not wait for lifts or for customers to arrive, but can leave the orders there once they reach the building.
They noted that this was common practice at various buildings during the COVID-19 pandemic, when contactless delivery was the norm.
In response to CNA’s queries, Mr Eric Loh of Oxley Tower’s building management disputed that delivery riders are not allowed to use passenger lifts.
Delivery riders must take the service lift only when they use a trolley, said Mr Loh. Similarly, cleaners and building maintenance workers only use the service lift.
To use Oxley Tower’s passenger lifts, visitors – including riders – need to request access from residents through the intercom. Delivery riders may sometimes be directed by residents to use the service lift instead, said Mr Loh.
Mapletree Pan Asia Commercial Trust, which owns Mapletree Anson, declined to comment.
Not all riders object to being kept out of passenger lifts.
One 29-year-old rider who only wanted to be known as Rainy said he would feel awkward and self-conscious taking the passenger lift with visitors as he may not look or smell fresh after working outside.
He prefers to take the service lift rather than the passenger lift for this reason, and said that the lift restriction was the usual practice in downtown buildings.
“It’s better that way,” he said, adding that if he were a building owner in the CBD, he would not consider a delivery rider to be a pleasant sight.
Additional reporting by Natasha Ganesan.