The Wire Staff 
New Delhi: Almost 83% app-based cab drivers work more than 10 hours a day, while working hours for almost a third exceed 14 hours daily, a study of more than 10,000 Indian gig workers has revealed.
The study, conducted by People’s Association in Grassroots Action and Movements and the Indian Federation of App-based Transport Workers, found that social disparities are replicated in gig work with only 16% of drivers from the unreserved category working for more than 14 hours as opposed to 60% of drivers from the Scheduled Castes and Tribes.
The study, involving 5,302 cab drivers and 5,028 delivery persons across eight cities, also revealed other alarming trends.
Financial struggle
Over 43% of participants earn less than Rs 500 a day, or Rs 15,000 a month after deducting all costs.
Nearly 34% app-based delivery workers earn less than Rs 10,000 a month while 78% work over 10 hours a day.
Highlighting the differences among workers from different castes, the report said that “these income disparities further exacerbate the already existing social inequalities and perpetuate cycles of poverty and distress within these communities”.
It noted that drivers are physically exhausted and exposed to an increased risk of road traffic accidents due to long working hours. This is exacerbated by the ‘10-minute delivery at the doorstep’ policy of certain e-commerce platforms. The report said that 86% of delivery persons found such policies “completely unacceptable”.
The study also found that nearly 72% cab drivers and 76% delivery workers are unable to make ends meet with 68% of the latter reporting more expenses than their income. The report strongly advocates for better compensation and support for these app-based workers, the Hindu reported.
Unfair compensation, no time off
Over 80% of app-based cab drivers and 73% of delivery persons expressed dissatisfaction with their fares and rates respectively. Respondents believe that companies deduct between 31-40% of the commission rate per ride, contrary to officially claimed figures of 20%, with 68% finding these deductions arbitrary, unexplained, and unfair.
Apart from the low pay, a significant portion of workers struggled to take time off with 41% of drivers and 48% of delivery persons being unable to take a single day off in a week.
The report also highlighted the issue of ID deactivation and customer misbehaviour. “A glaring 83% of the drivers reported that the issue of ID blocking affects them negatively, 47% stated that this issue extremely affects them. In the case of delivery persons, this percentage is even higher at 87%. Customer behaviour affects a significant majority (72%) of drivers in a negative way, while 68% of delivery persons are reportedly affected by it negatively,” the report said.