SeaPRwire

Deliveroo Singapore to help 200 riders upgrade to e-bicycles by sponsoring up to 50% of costs

aseanpr
2 minutes

SINGAPORE - Deliveroo Singapore will sponsor up to 50 per cent of the cost of a new power-assisted bicycle (PAB) to ease the financial burden of 200 riders looking to upgrade their vehicles. The food delivery company announced the pilot of this initiative, known as the Power-Assisted Bicycle Upgrading Subsidy Scheme, on Tuesday (Oct 12). The programme will enable walkers and cyclists to convert their mode of delivery to an electric bicycle so that they can increase their earnings by making more deliveries in a shorter time. In October, 200 riders will be invited to join the scheme. Deliveroo will pay for up to 50 per cent, with a $500 cap, of selected Land Transport Authority-compliant PAB models from two suppliers, Mobot and Falcon PEV. Mr Ong Zhi Hao, 29, a Deliveroo rider who will be taking part in the subsidy scheme, said he did not have the financial means to purchase an electric bicycle. "Now, with my savings coupled with Deliveroo's help, I am glad to be able to upgrade to a PAB to deliver more orders to customers and boost my income in a safe manner," he said. The $100,000 initiative is funded by Deliveroo Singapore's global community fund. The shortlisted riders will be ab...

SeaPRwire

Committee to look into better protection of delivery riders, private-hire drivers and cabbies

aseanpr
3 minutes

SINGAPORE - The advisory committee on platform workers will study how to strengthen protection of those in delivery services, private-hire car drivers and cabbies, said Senior Minister of State for Manpower Koh Poh Koon. It will also look into "ensuring a more balanced relationship" between them and the companies they work with, as well as compensation and better protection from workplace injuries, he told the House on Tuesday (Sept 14) in response to MPs who asked about protection for these gig workers. Prime Minister Lee Hsien Loong had announced at the National Day Rally last month that the Manpower Ministry will study how to accord greater protection to delivery workers. PM Lee had noted that workers for platforms such as foodpanda, Grab and Deliveroo have no employment contracts and thus lack basic job protections such as workplace injury compensation, union representation and employer Central Provident Fund contributions. On Tuesday, Dr Koh said about 79,000 people worked with matching platform companies for their main source of income last year. Of these, about half are private-hire car drivers and one-third are taxi drivers. The rest are mostly car and light goods vehicle d...

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New GrabFood delivery riders have to complete two-day training programme

aseanpr
3 minutes

SINGAPORE - New delivery riders joining GrabFood from July will be required to take part in a two-day training programme, which will cover topics such as the sharing of public paths and defensive riding. Meanwhile, existing GrabFood riders are encouraged to sign up for the programme. It will be fully funded for GrabFood riders. The programme is jointly developed by Grab, Asian Detours (AD), ComfortDelGro Driving Centre (CDC) and Ngee Ann Polytechnic (NP). Trainers from AD, CDC and NP will conduct the lessons. Grab said on Friday (June 4) that the programme aims to improve service standards and food hygiene, as well as increase understanding of occupational safety for food delivery riders. On occupational safety, Grab said the programme will also cover areas such as how to balance with a delivery load and riding techniques based on the attendee's mode of delivery. Most riders use either motorcycles, bicycles or electric bicycles. It said that the programme is structured to align with the requirements of the mandatory online theory test for riders of electric bicycles. Grab managing director of deliveries, Ms Xinwei Ngiam, said its pool of food delivery riders has been growing in lin...

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Rest areas for delivery riders, private hire drivers in Punggol to be removed to prevent misuse

aseanpr
2 minutes

SINGAPORE - The rest areas for delivery riders and private hire drivers that were set up about a week ago in two Punggol coffeeshops will be removed to prevent misuse. These areas could become places where people congregate, and bring about community risk, said Ms Sun Xueling, MP for Punggol West SMC, in a Facebook post on Sunday (May 30). "I have been there a few times myself and seen some congregation of general workers which we had to rectify," added Ms Sun, who is also Minister of State for Education as well as Social and Family Development. The rest areas in the coffeeshops at Block 308C Punggol Walk and Block 269A Punggol Field were set up about a week ago. They were intended for use by delivery riders and private hire drivers to rest and have their meal, said Ms Sun in previous Facebook posts. On Sunday, she said that they can eat at open areas, such as void decks and parks, and that she had personally observed some of them taking their breaks alone in such places. "And (the places are) safe, well aerated, away from crowds," she said. Ms Sun also said the "Pay It Forward" initiative will continue at the two coffeeshops. This initiative allows residents to pay for drinks whic...

SeaPRwire

Suntec City joins list of dine-in areas for front-line workers

aseanpr
3 minutes

SINGAPORE - Food delivery riders, safe distancing ambassadors and other essential workers can now dine in at Suntec City in two zones, following a ban on dining in at eateries and restaurants until June 13. The mall has designated the Food Republic and Big Appetite food courts to allow for the consumption of meals in a safe and conducive environment. The mall joins other venues like community centres that have opened up their premises to allow front-line workers to rest and have their meals. "Safe management measures within these dining areas are in place and we hope this will play a small part in helping these essential personnel perform their roles during this difficult time," said Suntec in a release on Thursday (May 20). This will apply to safe distancing ambassadors, safe management inspectors, enforcement officers and food delivery riders, it added. Suntec City said that it will be extending the grace period for parking on its premises, to support delivery drivers and riders. This will give shoppers more flexibility to pick up any orders they make for takeaways, it added. The mall will also allow its tenants to shorten store operating hours to reduce their operating costs. Re...

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Mandatory online theory test for e-scooter and e-bike riders to start from June 30: LTA

aseanpr
2 minutes

SINGAPORE - Mandatory online theory tests for electric scooter and electric bicycle riders will begin from June 30, said the Land Transport Authority (LTA) on Friday (April 30). The handbooks for both theory tests have been published online, and will cover three modules for both groups of riders. They comprise general information on active mobility devices, pre-journey and equipment checks, as well as the rules and codes of conduct for using the devices. In a Facebook post, the LTA said the theory test will comprise multiple-choice questions and be available online. More details will be provided at a later date. The announcement comes after the Active Mobility Advisory Panel first proposed a mandatory test in September 2019, following a spate of accidents involving mobility devices and the death of a cyclist after a collision with a speeding e-scooter rider whose device did not meet regulations. Senior Parliamentary Secretary for Transport Baey Yam Keng had said in March that the mandatory tests will take effect from the middle of this year. This will ensure that all riders of such motorised devices know the rules and codes of conduct, he said during the debate on his ministry's bu...

SeaPRwire

Deliveroo strikes to precede London share listing

elean
4 minutes

LONDON (AFP) - The meal delivery platform Deliveroo is bracing for strikes and other social actions by disgruntled riders as it gears up for a major London stock listing. Tipped as possibly the biggest stock market flotation in London for a decade, the group has come under fire for employment conditions that have already scared off a couple of large institutional investors. In Britain, where Deliveroo is based, a group of riders who are not affiliated with a trade union planned to stage a strike on Sunday. Others who have joined the IWGB union of independent workers say they will stage an action on April 7, the day that Deliveroo shares are to be made available to small shareholders. Large investors are to have a head start on buying the company's stock a week earlier. The eight-year-old delivery platform hopes for a market capitalisation of between £7.6 billion and £8.8 billion (S$14 billion - S$16.3 billion). Deliveroo's 100,000 riders deliver meals for 115,000 restaurants in 800 cities across the world. In France, two trade unions, the ITF and CGT, have called for Deliveroo riders to mobilise on Friday, with strike calls in Bordeaux, Lyon and Toulouse. The international network ...

SeaPRwire

For 7 years, Singapore couple paid for ‘cancelled’ insurance policies

elean
1 minute

If you decide to terminate your insurance policy, make sure you do a thorough check and cancel all supplementary plans as well. This is because some of these extra policies, or "riders" as they are commonly called, can still be in force even though the main policies have been cancelled. So you can still be charged premiums for these riders even though you do not want the coverage any more. Please subscribe or log in to continue reading the full article. Get unlimited access to all stories at $0.99/month Latest headlines and exclusive stories In-depth analyses and award-winning multimedia content Get access to all with our no-contract promotional package at only $0.99/month for the first 3 months* Subscribe now *Terms and conditions apply.

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MOH welcomes insurers’ move to adjust terms for full-rider IPs

aseanpr
4 minutes

The Ministry of Health (MOH) has welcomed the latest measures by private insurers to adjust the terms for those on existing Integrated Shield Plans (IPs) with riders that cover hospital bills in full. NTUC Income has begun informing policyholders on such plans that they will soon have to co-pay part of their bills when their policies are renewed. Four other insurers having IPs with such riders say they are moving policyholders to co-payment riders, or considering doing so. MOH said yesterday that these changes, together with other efforts by the Government such as the publication of fee benchmarks, "will further encourage prudent use of healthcare services, and keep healthcare costs sustainable for all Singaporeans". "IP policyholders can continue to tap their MediSave to pay for their co-payment amounts under all riders, subject to the MediSave withdrawal limits," the MOH told The Straits Times, which reported on the issue on Wednesday. MOH also said it had been kept informed by the individual private insurers on their independent reviews of existing IP riders which were bought before March 8, 2018. "We welcome and are supportive of the changes that have been announced, as they su...