You probably remember this delivery rider who stole the show during the National Day Parade as the mobile column passed through Marsiling.

The rider, Abdul Rahman, actually resides in the constituency of first-time Member of Parliament (MP) Hany Soh.

Like several MPs whose maiden speeches were inspired by encounters with their residents, Soh shared that she met up with Rahman following the lighthearted episode on National Day.

Delivery riders losing income due to summons

In Parliament on Sep. 4, speaking during the debate on the motion of thanks to the President's Address, Soh spoke up for the food delivery riders after learning about their difficulties through Rahman. She said:

"Mr. Speaker, being a food delivery rider is not an easy job. They earn their wages by being constantly on the road and weathering the elements as they go."

Rahman shared that he worked nine hours a day and six days a week to provide for his family.

A typical delivery rider earns about S$6 per delivery but will occasionally lose part of his income due to summons while rushing to complete deliveries and meeting customers' expectations, Soh understands.

The delivery riders are often at risk of incurring penalties such as S$70 fines from Land and Transport Authority enforcement officers and about S$300 for unclamping charges imposed by the management of shopping malls.

Calls for better facilities for delivery riders

These penalties also show that there is a lack of proper parking facilities for the riders.

Soh proposed implementing transitional parking of about 15 minutes grace period for the food delivery riders and to create designated food delivery pick up points at all commercial malls.

Creating these facilities can reduce illegal parking and improve the delivery process, as she calls it a "win-win situation".

Earlier in April this year, the Housing & Development Board (HDB) and the Urban Redevelopment Authority (URA) have extended the grace period for delivery riders at carparks using Electronic Parking System (EPS).

This was due to the higher demand for food delivery services during the circuit breaker.

Totally unrelated but follow and listen to our podcast here

Top photos via CNA and by Zheng Zhangxin