Two cars hit Zomato rider in Delhi, company asks him to explain delay in delivering order | Trending

Zomato has promised reforms after a Delhi woman called the company’s emergency helpline for riders a “joke.” X user Anjali said she saw a Zomato rider injured in an accident and called the company’s emergency helpline repeatedly, only to receive no response each time. A Zomato delivery driver was injured in an accident in Delhi (Representational image)(Rep image) Anjali shared an X thread on the Zomato rider’s ordeal and Zomato’s lack of support for its riders. She said that she witnessed two cars hitting the Zomato rider in Delhi’s Chanakyapuri area. The rider was on an e-scooter and his arm was “badly injured” in the accident. Some pedestrians and two other Zomato agents came to his aid as the cars sped away. Anjali herself stopped to help the unconscious rider and called Zomato’s helpline using his phone. “No one answered. Thrice,” she reported. The rider, meanwhile, regained consciousness and started sobbing. “The other two riders who had stopped tried to contact the emergency helpline via their phones & surprise, surprise, no one responded again,” Anjali wrote. The Delhi woman finally called the Police Control Room. After 10 minutes, someone picked up the PCR helpline number and promised to send cops to the site of the accident. However, that time, the Zomato rider – named Lalan – had started getting complaints from the customers whose food he was supposed to deliver. Anjali said she called the customers from Lalan’s phone but they did not respond. She also texted them explaining the situation but they must have filed a complaint because a few minutes later, the Zomato service centre started calling the rider and demanding an explanation for the delay. “It just confirms the joke that riders are for Zomato,” Anjali wrote, adding that the two other Zomato riders who had stopped to help also started getting complaints and had to leave. Lalan later received a call from Zomato’s emergency helpline, but that time, police had already taken him to a hospital for treatment. Anjali slammed the food delivery platform in no uncertain terms for its treatment of riders. “Anyone who studies the gig economy (even if not study it carefully) fully understands that the riders are invisible to the top leaders. Don’t be fooled their celebratory tweets & posts. They brag about giving CPR training to their riders but when their riders are left injured in the middle of the road or face any problems, there is absolutely no support mechanism,” she wrote. She also called for CEO Deepinder Goyal to take accountability and recognise gig workers as employees with proper rights, compensation and medical benefits. Zomato’s responseZomato acknowledged the gaps in its support mechanism for delivery partners and provided an update on the rider’s condition. The official X handle of Zomato Care replied to the thread saying Lalan escaped with no major injuries. “Hi Anjali, it is heartening to see the effort you took to ensure the safety and due care for our delivery partner. Thank you for your kindness. Our teams have been in touch with the delivery partner, Lalan and his family since we learnt about this tragic incident,” wrote Zomato. “We are glad to share that he is safe with no major injuries. Doctors have advised him rest and care for the next few days. “For us, the safety and wellbeing of our delivery partners is utmost priority. All our delivery partners are covered under our Health Insurance policy, including IPD/ hospitalisation and daycare with coverage upto INR 1 lac,” the company said. It acknowledged that its emergency response could be better and changes would be implemented. “Lastly, Anjali, we understand that our SOS process could have been better. We are making changes to ensure the wait time on SOS calls is down to a few seconds and they get connected instantly. These changes will reflect on our delivery partner app within 24 hours,” wrote Zomato.