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Other Ways To Earn On Two Wheels

If you don’t want to use your own scooter or moped to deliver food, there is still the more traditional option of working for a single restaurant. Many large pizza chains, such as Dominos, employ moped riders to deliver food in an area surrounding each restaurant.

The main advantages of working for this sort of company is they provide the moped, insurance and fuel, and you get a guaranteed wage per shift. For some, the downside is you have less flexibility about when you work and for how long.

What You Can Earn

It’s easy to be lured in by offers of earning up to £1000 per week as a food delivery rider. However, most riders will earn around £40 for a five-hour shift on a weekend evening. The more you work, the more you earn, so it is your decision how many hours to put in. Most food delivery apps pay per delivery, so it can be hard to earn much in quiet periods. Deliveroo, for example, pays between £2.90 and £6 per delivery, and this is worked out on the distance you travel to deliver the food and if you can deliver multiple orders in a single journey. As we’ve mentioned, some riders sign up to several apps to keep themselves busy.

You must remember that you are self-employed, so you will have to take care of paying any National Insurance. This is on top of paying for courier insurance for your moped or scooter, as well as maintenance and safety kit.

The good news is the delivery apps pay on a weekly basis, so you are not waiting for a long period for your money. You can also use an instant pay feature on most of the apps, where any money you have earned is paid immediately into your bank account. However, there is usually a fee for this and you can only do it a maximum of five times in a single week.

Legal Stuff

As a self-employed courier rider, you will have to inform your insurer that you are using your scooter or moped for delivery work. They may offer an additional insurance for this, though it will be expensive. Or you can take out third-party cover with companies such as Zego, which works out at a around £5 per working day. However, not all insurance companies recognise Zego’s cover, which could leave you liable to paying the costs of another driver if you cause a crash.

To work as a delivery rider, you must be at least 18 years old and have a provisional licence and a CBT certificate, or a full UK licence. Companies will also ask to see valid insurance.

In return, the delivery companies provide liability insurance. They also provide a high-vis vest, an insulated backpack for the food, and a phone mount for your scooter’s handlebars.