Delivery bike chaos in South Africa

On-demand grocery retailers Checkers Sixty60 and Pick n Pay asap! have been quiet about vetting their delivery drivers.

MyBroadband asked the three services how they vet their delivery drivers, following comments from Motorcycle Safety Institute of South Africa founder Hein Jonker earlier this month.

Jonker highlighted several concerns about delivery rider training and whether they are licensed to ride in South Africa.

Spar Group’s national PR manager, Mpudi Maubane, told MyBroadband that its extensive recruitment protocol is designed to ensure the highest standards of safety and compliance for Spar 2U riders.

“Our process includes rigorous vetting of driver and asset information to meet all legal requirements,” said Maubane.

“For foreign national drivers, we implement additional checks to ensure adherence to Regulation 110 (1) of the National Road Traffic Regulations.”

“Each new recruit undergoes an on-road skill assessment and is paired with an experienced driver for their first week of employment,” she added.

Maubane said Spar is working with the Radah Learning Academy on various initiatives aimed at training South African drivers, with a focus on empowering female drivers.

Pick n Pay asap! had not answered our questions by publication, while Checkers-owner Shoprite declined to comment.

Earlier this month, Jonker explained that some riders aren’t local and come from countries where a car licence covers all vehicle classes below that, including scooters and motorcycles.

“Some of these riders are not local, they’re foreign riders, and in other African countries, they may not have gone through a motorcycle licence test or any motorcycle training; they’ve learnt from their friends,” said Jonker.

“In some countries in Africa, if you go for a motorcar licence, anything below that vehicle class you are licensed to ride, be that a scooter or a motorcycle.”

He said they may have never been through a physical test and may not know South African road laws.

“They come to this country with a licence that includes a motorcycle licence, and off they go,” he added.

Jonker said he couldn’t comment on whether local authorities have the capacity to check if all delivery drivers are licenced.

However, he said the respective food delivery services are responsible for ensuring their riders’ safety on the road.

According to Jonker, one way to address these concerns is for law enforcement to collaborate and set up more roadblocks to check riders’ licences.

He also said some food delivery services offer delivery guarantees with time limits on deliveries.

This and the pressure to make as many deliveries as possible to maximise income can contribute to poor behaviour from riders.

“If you put a person under pressure that might not have been riding a motorcycle where he or she comes from under that kind of pressure, something’s got to give,” said Jonker.

He added that riders in a rush compromise on safety aspects of bike riding, such as not securing their helmets.

“Do they take chances through traffic? Yes, they do. So, something gives and when something gives, risk is increased dramatically and then you see things go wrong in traffic,” said Jonker.

He noted that the length of training required for a motorcycle rider to be considered safe on public roads isn’t extensive.

“Most motorcycle training programmes can last a couple of days, it really depends on if he or she has ridden a bicycle before, if they have a good understanding or comprehension of the rules of the road,” he said.

“I would say a good effective training programme should be about five days, where they can go from range training where there’s no interference of traffic or other elements, to on-the-road training in the environment he or she will be riding in.”