Inside the challenges B’luru gig workers face| India News
For three days, Gondi Krishna has kept his phone close, refreshing the delivery app that once dictated the rhythm of his day.
Not long ago, the 29-year-old’s phone buzzed constantly with grocery delivery orders, determining when he woke up, where he rode his bike and how much he could earn by nightfall. Now the screen stays silent.
On February 19, Krishna said, his account on the platform was blocked and blacklisted. Without access to the app, he cannot work. The reason, he said, was not poor performance or missed deliveries but his decision to stand in solidarity with another delivery partner whose account had been removed.
Across Bengaluru, gig workers like Krishna say their livelihoods remain precarious despite the growing importance of app-based delivery services. Many describe shrinking pay, opaque algorithms and customer support systems that often fail to resolve their complaints.
“Earlier we used to get paid ₹10 to 15 per kilometer, but now they are only paying us ₹6,” said Nitesh Kumar, 26, a delivery partner associated with an app.
The drop in per-kilometer earnings has lengthened the workday for many riders, he said. “Before, if I worked ten hours, I could easily meet my earning credit, but now even with 15 hours it is difficult to hit that target,” he said.
For Ajay Kumar, 36, the payment system often feels inconsistent. “The per kilometer fee is low. We sometimes get almost ₹18 for 2 kilometers, but for 4 kilometers instead of double, we only get ₹25,” he said.
Workers say trying to resolve such issues through customer support can take hours. “Two hours of my working time today was wasted trying to complain that someone else had picked up my order,” Ajay Kumar said. “They only give generated replies.”
Such complaints are common even though the Karnataka Gig Workers’ Act, passed in 2025, guarantees platform-based workers the right to grievance redressal against aggregator companies and the state board overseeing the sector.
But several riders said the support they receive rarely goes beyond automated responses. “Customer care does not support us at all,” said Sheikh Imran, 32, another delivery partner with the same app mentioned above. “When there is a problem at the end of the customer or restaurant, we are caught in the middle and have to suffer the loss,” he added.
Imran, who balances delivery work with a part-time job with a private sector bank, said delays in resolving issues often eat into his earnings. “I struggled last January month. One day I called the customer service three times, and each time I was redirected to a different agent who gave me generated replies that were completely unhelpful,” he said.
The algorithms that determine which rider receives an order are another source of frustration. “I don’t get many orders but those who are next to me will get many. I don’t know the reason,” said Arvind Yadav, 28.
Ajay Kumar said he sometimes waits long stretches without assignments. “Sometimes I don’t get any orders even after waiting 30 minutes, but others do. Today also it happened after I complained to customer service,” he said.
The Karnataka Gig Workers Act requires companies to disclose how their algorithms affect workers, but several delivery partners said they still do not understand how orders are distributed.
HT reached out to the food delivery app through multiple channels seeking a response. The company had not replied by the time of publication.
For Krishna and two fellow workers — Mangali Ramu, 29, and Veeresh, 32 — the dispute with their platform has moved beyond pay or order allocation.
All three say they have lost their jobs entirely.
Krishna said the conflict began when Ramu’s account was blocked, prompting several delivery partners to stage a strike. According to Krishna, Ramu had a reputation among riders for speaking up when workers felt they were being treated unfairly.
“For example, when the company started taking money from the ₹15–20 the workers were earning per delivery, forcing them to give up ₹300–500, Ramu would question the management,” Krishna said.
Krishna said he and Veeresh supported Ramu during the protest and believe that led to their accounts being removed. “Some of us held a strike because Ramu’s ID was wrongfully blocked,” he said. “Ramu would always support those who were wronged by the management, hence he was purposely targeted.”
After the strike, Krishna said the company filed a complaint at a police station accusing Ramu of preventing others from working and causing losses.
“After we did the strike, the management immediately went to the police station and complained to Ramu, saying that he is stopping everyone from working and that they have incurred loss from the strike,” he said. “This is a completely false narrative.”
Krishna said the platform’s policies did not prohibit workers from organising a strike. The loss of work has had immediate consequences for his family. His mother is ill and depends on him for medical expenses. “What other work can I do now?” he asked.
“Just after one instance of me supporting my colleague, they have removed me without a thought,” he said. The three workers have approached Mohammad Inayat Ali, president of the Karnataka App Based Drivers Union, seeking help.
Ali said the union had received multiple complaints from delivery partners about declining pay and the lack of response from companies. “We have received the complaints from the workers. Their earnings have significantly reduced after the strike,” he said.
According to Ali, workers who raised grievances were sometimes told to look for other employment. “Nothing happens when they complain to their management. They just tell them to go look for other work,” he said.
Ali also said some drivers were told they might be allowed to return if they avoided further protests. “They are not following the Karnataka Gig Workers Act,” he said. “Moreover, the drivers are not being paid well for their services.”
He added that problems were not limited to delivery platforms. “One particular company that specialises in salon services at homes has the highest level of exploitation towards its workers,” he said. “Whoever raises their voice or questions the company, they are targeted and removed. That is the issue.”
For Krishna, the uncertainty is immediate and personal. Each time he checks his phone, he hopes the notification that restores his account — and his income — might finally appear.
So far, it has not.
