Food delivery apps helping college students earn a living

Hubballi: Deepak Adhoni, a resident of Padmaraj Nagar, was a technician before becoming a full-time delivery boy of an online food ordering and delivery company. Earlier he used to do welding work in an engineering workshop and earn Rs 8,000 a month. After becoming a delivery boy, he earns Rs 15,000 per month and sometimes more than that.
Working as delivery boys of online food delivery companies has become a trend in Hubballi. Youths, who used to spend their leisure hours with friends especially during evening hours, are now using the same time to earn a living. Most of these youths work on part-time basis during evening hours.

Ordering food on online apps is catching up in Hubballi. Office-goers, working couples and bachelors working in multinational companies are heavily dependent on these applications. The fact that they get food at their doorsteps within 20 minutes or half an hour along with a possibility of cash back on each order if they pay through various payment applications has made the food delivery apps very attractive to customers.

Some food delivery apps have also introduced promotional offers providing food at cheaper prices compared to traditional restaurants.

To cater to the raising demand, food delivery apps have hired several students on a part time basis. Some of these students, who stay in paying guest accommodations, work between 7pm and 11pm and earn Rs150-300 per day.

Pradeep Nargundkar from Hangal who is studying BSc in a private college in Hubballi, stays at a PG in Vidyanagar. He said he would ask his parents money for his expenses before coming to know about a food delivery app from a friend who was already working as a delivery boy. “What attracted me most was that one can work as a part-time or full-time basis. Every day I work between 7 pm and 11 pm and on weekends I work for the full day as my college is closed and online orders are high,” he said.

Yasmeen Mokashi who works in a private company, says she prefers to cook most of the time but whenever she is no mood to cook or feels low, she orders food online. She said ordering online was convenient and easy on the pocket too.