Maxine Carey-Gorey is one of the ever-growing army of food delivery riders buzzing around streets in Melbourne on electric bikes.

• A start-up founded by an ex-delivery worker says it can pay food delivery workers an hourly rate above minimum wage

"It's lovely," she said.

"I enjoy cycling as it is. I like to get out and pick up these shifts whenever I can.

"I'm an animator mainly working in television. But when I can't pick up gigs that way, this is a nice way to earn some extra money."

It is unusual to hear someone so happy in an industry notorious for underpaying and exploiting its delivery riders in a job that can also be dangerous.

So-called 'gig economy' companies like UberEats, Deliveroo and Menulog usually pay their workers per task.

But Maxine is one of the few riders working for a guaranteed hourly rate, earning $29.50 an hour for her four-hour shift — whether she is busy or not.

She is still an independent contractor – which means no superannuation, penalty rates or workers compensation.

But Maxine says it is far better than sitting around waiting for a job earning nothing at all.

The company Maxine works for is a startup, founded by ex-delivery driver Vishal Plato – who hated the stress of never knowing if he would be making money on the evenings he spent on his bike.

"I used to wait around in the streets for a long time, and never used to get paid for that," he...

Read Full Story: https://www.abc.net.au/news/2022-04-03/gig-economy-food-delivery-workers/1009...