The Unchanged Race Against Time
The labour ministry recently nudged delivery platforms to abandon their 10-minute delivery branding. The very next day, Sumit Singh arrived breathless at my Noida apartment landing with my order. I stood waiting by the lift, wrapped in three layers against the cold, when he emerged from the stairwell. This gave me a mild shock.
"You climbed 17 floors?" I asked him.
"Ji, ma'am," he replied. He adjusted the voluminous bag on his shoulders and wiped sweat from his forehead. "I can't wait for the lift. Every minute I save gives me a chance to earn more."
Branding Change, Reality Stays Same
I was using the Zepto app. It wasn't promising 10-minute delivery anymore. Just as instructed, nothing had changed for Sumit. His daily 10-12 hour race against the clock continued. The business model geared towards survival of the quickest remained. Customer expectations stayed high. The class system in NCR apartment culture persisted, often restricting delivery workers to service lifts meant for garbage.
Sumit had waited five minutes for the service lift. For him, this was "the outer limit of time wastage." When it didn't arrive, he decided to sprint up seventeen floors.
I told him about the removal of the 10-minute promise. He laughed. "That is only an announcement. Reality remains the same. The faster I finish an order, the faster I get the next one. That's how this works. My income depends on how many deliveries I complete in a day. If one order gets delayed, it has a ripple effect," he explained.
Gig Economy Under Scrutiny
Over recent weeks, the superfast commerce model has faced increased scrutiny. This intensified after the government introduced a new labour code. Gig workers' unions called strikes during Christmas and New Year. Though these strikes weren't highly disruptive, they successfully highlighted the gig economy's main concerns.
Harsh working conditions, stiff targets, and lack of job or income security entered public discourse. The government's intervention on 10-minute branding acknowledged these concerns. However, a complex system of invisible pressures still dictates the delivery gig.
This medley includes the stopwatch that starts with every order ping, performance metrics, work allocation algorithms, and the incentive structure. Changing the branding does not alter this system. It doesn't change Sumit's deliverables or his next steep climb.
The Economics of Speed
Discontinuing 10-minute deliveries was a key demand from gig workers' unions. They prioritized rider safety. However, removing 'quick' from quick commerce challenges the business model's foundation. Why is saving time so critically important?
Sumit says he earns around Rs 14 per order for every kilometre travelled. Longer-distance orders fetch slightly more money. But they also consume more time and burn more fuel or battery charge.
To earn between Rs 25,000 and Rs 30,000 monthly after deducting fuel costs and traffic fines, delivery riders must complete 30-35 deliveries every day. "That means working 10-12 hours daily without any weekly off. On a good day, I earn up to Rs 850," Sumit explains.
Income varies across different platforms. Gaurav Kumar delivers for Swiggy Instamart. "Today, I earned Rs 366 after working 8 hours and 33 minutes. I completed 14 deliveries. Scrapping of the 10-minute rule has not changed anything for me. What I want is a steady income," he states.
Customer Expectations and App Penalties
Customer behaviour adds another intense layer of stress. Dhruv Rajput works with Blinkit in Gurgaon. He says people have grown accustomed to lightning-quick deliveries. They get irritated by any delays.
"People still want their orders fast, whether or not it's a 10-minute promise. Sometimes, in cash on delivery cases, customers refuse to pay if we get late. They don't want to hear about traffic congestion. There is no option then but to take the blame and apologise," he shares.
What Riders Fear Most
Something riders fear more than an unhappy customer is being blocked from the app. All riders TOI spoke to said reasons for blocking IDs seem arbitrary. These can range from order rejections to customer complaints.
Deepak Kumar is a Zepto rider in Delhi. "Even if there is an emergency to attend to, if a rider rejects orders a few times on the app, it can lead to deductions, or worse, blocking. Rejecting an order can lead to a deduction of Rs 5-10 or more, depending on distance and order quantity. Accounts can get blocked too. Then you can't work at all," he reveals.
Riders also face huge risks from traffic fines. To save precious time, they often drive on the wrong side of the road. They take prohibited turns, hoping to avoid getting caught. Sumit delivers in Noida. He says December 2025 was a particularly unlucky month. "I paid Rs 6,000 in traffic fines," he recounts.
Physical Toll and Lack of Awareness
A critical yet overlooked part of the job is the physical weight riders carry. Raju is a Blinkit rider in Delhi. "I'm often climbing stairs and carrying a bag weighing 25-30kg. This takes a toll on the body, causing back and knee pain. The government should bring in clear weight limits," he urges.
TOI reached out to Blinkit, Zepto, and Instamart for comments. No responses were received.
Pleading for Education on Rights
Riders said they know about the new labour code. However, the details remain vague and confusing for them. They strongly urged the government to organize awareness camps. These camps could educate them about their actual rights.
One rider pointed out that awareness about rights is not something the industry takes seriously. His app showed he had total health coverage of Rs 1 lakh. It listed OPD coverage of Rs 10,000 and accidental coverage of Rs 10 lakh.
Although the 'Health and Accident Insurance' status appeared as 'Active' on the app, the rider confessed he had no idea how to claim it. No one from the company had ever explained the process to him.
"There is an option to 'Raise a Claim' but it asks for several details when you press it. Riders need help with that. One of my friends recently met with an accident during a delivery and broke his leg. He wasn't able to claim insurance because he is not very conversant with the technicalities. If the government wants actual change, it should provide training to gig workers on our rights, insurance, finances, and safety measures," the rider emphasized.
The struggle continues. For Sumit Singh and thousands like him, the race against the clock remains unchanged, branding or no branding.
