Deliveroo hosts workshop to promote inclusive road safety for persons with disabilities
It partners SPD to teach riders about personal mobility aids, which are used by PWDs
FOOD delivery platform Deliveroo hosted a workshop on Wednesday (Oct 9), in partnership with local charity SPD, to teach riders about inclusive road safety for persons with disabilities (PWDs), many of whom use personal mobility aids or PMAs such as motorised wheelchairs and scooters.
This initiative was part of this year’s Rider Safety Month, which was established by the company in 2021 and occurs every October.
During the workshop, SPD representatives educated more than 50 Deliveroo riders on disability awareness and etiquette, vehicles that are classified as PMAs and the challenges PWDs face.
PWDs who use PMAs were also invited to speak about their experiences.
The hands-on workshop included five stations, where riders took part in role-playing and simulation activities.
Kartavya Bhola, head of operations at Deliveroo, said a key objective of this initiative was to raise awareness on how able-bodied riders can help not just on the road, but also notice when other riders using PMAs need help. He emphasised the importance of creating a “safe working environment”.
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“Rather than just the company being inclusive towards employees and riders, this (initiative) also enables riders to have these conversations among themselves and be inclusive towards other riders,” he added.
“A lot of times, it’s not the lack of intention – it’s the lack of knowledge.”
He noted that PWDs who work as riders face challenges on the road using their PMAs due to kerbs and inaccessible pavements, tight spaces, and a lack of parking spaces. Another issue is the lack of certain infrastructure in Singapore, such as sheltered pathways, that would assist riders who encounter bad weather conditions.
Deliveroo rider Noel Ong Lee attended the workshop and said it helped him “become more alert” and also taught him ways to help PWDs facing difficulties on the road.
“It’s not just about equipping ourselves with knowledge and skills to ride safely, but also about making sure we’re all looking out for each other out there,” he added.
In its efforts to be more inclusive, Deliveroo will add PMAs as a separate delivery mode on its app within the next few months. PMA users are currently onboarded as walkers. Bhola said this will help the platform assign deliveries that are more suitable for PMA users.
He added that Deliveroo has also been part of discussions with various government agencies on how to make roads more PMA-friendly.
Other initiatives for Rider Safety Month this year include partnerships with the Singapore Civil Defence Force and Singapore Red Cross to teach about rider safety.
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