National, March 19, 2024: Swiggy, India’s leading on-demand convenience platform, has launched a nationwide road safety charter, ‘Delivering Safely,’ to bolster its commitment towards the safety of its delivery partners.
As a leading player in food, quick commerce and other on-demand services, Swiggy has over 3 lakh delivery partners across 600+ cities in the country. As Swiggy remains committed to providing unparalleled convenience to its users, it recognises the imperative of ensuring a safer environment for its delivery partners, facilitating quick and easy assistance in times of need. Swiggy’s delivery partners cover a staggering 3.6 billion kilometres annually or around 90,000 trips around the earth’s equator.
Over the last few years, Swiggy has made consistent efforts to create awareness among its delivery partners, making it easier for them to report a safety incident and for Swiggy to respond swiftly. The Delivering Safely charter builds on these measures that include:
Accidental Medical Coverage: Coverage of INR 2 lakh along with INR 10 lakh death cover. The company has disbursed over INR 31 Crores in insurance claims in FY23.
Free, on-demand ambulance: In an industry-first move, Swiggy announced a free, on-demand ambulance service for its delivery partners and their families last year. The average response time of the ambulance service is 11 minutes.
Loss of pay: To ensure continued income in case of any untoward incident and during the subsequent recovery, Swiggy provides a minimum guaranteed amount to its delivery partners, pegged to the average income earned in the respective city.
Road safety awareness workshops: As per the Ministry of Road Transport and Highways, Government of India, most road accidents occur “due to carelessness or lack of road safety awareness of road users. Hence road safety education is as essential as any other basic skills of survival”. Swiggy conducts road safety workshops in collaboration with state traffic police departments to promote awareness and safe driving practices among its delivery partners.
Safety Gear: Access to advanced road safety gear such as reflector helmets, jackets, and raincoats.
Advanced Telematics: A developing project to help Swiggy delivery partners better understand and learn from their driving behaviours and stay safe. Data science will be used to monitor driver behaviour, especially of high speed, sudden acceleration, and abrupt brake use, to identify at-risk delivery partners and plan their specialised training.
Rohit Kapoor, CEO of Food Marketplace, Swiggy emphasized the company’s commitment to road safety, saying, “Swiggy’s mission is rooted in making urban life more convenient for our customers. Improving road safety in our cities is not just a goal; it’s a necessity for enhancing the daily lives and safety of everyone. Congestion is a genuine concern, and as providers of food delivery, quick commerce, and other on-demand services, we believe we’re playing a practical role in alleviating this issue.”
“While we are doing our part in bringing convenience to consumers, to do this safely is paramount. Through a comprehensive road safety charter that spans educating, energising, and equipping our fleet with the right training and gear, Swiggy will continue to deliver safety for our partners, ” he added.
