CHENNAI: Panic buying of petrol from fuel stations across the city has begun to impact delivery workers, many of whom depend on small and frequent refuels to keep working throughout the day.
"It is frustrating to wait for half an hour, witnessing people filling up their tanks. I just require fuel for Rs 200 so that I can deliver orders on time," laments Selvam, a Zomato worker.
A large number of these riders on the roads of Tamil Nadu, whose ability to make ends meet depends on time, are caught in a sudden wave of panic to hoard petrol, driven by the ongoing gas shortage issue across the country.
Vehicles from Chennai, Tiruchy, and Coimbatore have started piling up at fuel stations across cities and are gasping for space. So do the workers behind the pumps. "Hands started to hurt within an hour," said Rathish, a 48-year-old fuel station employee. "No one is filling fuel for Rs 100 or Rs 200 now, it's all in thousands. In fact, it's easier because I don't have to keep taking the nozzle out, filling, scanning the QR, and billing again and again."
On the other side, for delivery riders like Selvam who are waiting in queues for long, their daily targets are going for a toss. "I don't think I will complete my target today. I skipped three fuel stations due to the queue, and now I have been waiting here for 15 minutes," said Jawahar, a bike taxi driver who said he usually aims to complete 15 rides in four hours.
To maintain steady earnings, the delivery riders rely on completing a high number of orders each day, which involves small, frequent refuels. With these gig workers competing with the public who are stocking petrol in cans, their work gets difficult.
"I filled my tank fully for the first time in three years since I bought the bike. And I will have to accept more rides and work longer hours to compensate," said Jayakumar, a bike taxi driver.
Several fuel stations across the city, including in Saligramam, Velachery and Kilpauk, have shut temporarily after running out of stock, while queues continue to grow at the outlets that remain open.
"I earn around Rs 1,000 to Rs 1,500 a day after driving for 10 to 11 hours. Now my revenue has reduced," said a food delivery worker.
In addition, workers say food orders have also become less frequent in recent days. "I used to deliver 20 to 25 orders a day. Yesterday it was 14, and as of 3 pm today I have done only six," pointed out Selvam.
Chennai alone has at least one lakh app-based delivery and mobility workers. According to a recent study by the State Planning Commission, about 48 per cent already work 10 to 12 hours a day. It leaves little margin to them when disruptions such as shortages and panic hoarding slow their work.