Thinking of becoming a GrabFood rider? Here are some tips netizens say will help you earn more money

Turning to food delivery as a means of income has become commonplace in Singapore, particular during this period as people are displaced from their jobs or are looking for a way to earn extra income during these extraordinary times.

For those who are considering venturing to be a GrabFood rider, specifically on a bicycle, friendly netizens have shared their tips on how to maximise your earnings while you are out on the road as an essential worker to deliver meals.

Be ready during these timings on weekdays: 11am – 2pm and 4.30pm – 9pm

It's not too surprising that the best time to get orders would be during meal times, but it still pays to know when exactly that is for Singaporeans on the app. It's not that people don't order food after 9pm, just that they don't come as fast and as furious as the above timings.

Turn on the auto-accept to get more orders

When on the GrabFood riders app you have the choice of two modes: normal or auto-accept. 

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With the normal mode, you can choose whether or not to accept the deliveries. For auto-accept, it will be taken that you will accept all orders and Grab does state that riders will receive more orders in this mode. 

A rider we spoke to verified this to be true but said that there are risks involved as you might get jobs that seasoned food delivery riders deem unsavoury. These include orders that involve unsecured liquids like soup in large takeaway containers, as well as those where the restaurant is rather far from the delivery location.  

Not getting orders? Call Grab to check on your account

While not getting orders at times is normal, if you haven't been getting an order for a few hours, and are in a location that people usually get orders, contact Grab. It may be an issue with the app and doing so has gotten several riders back on track.

Camp outside shopping centres for higher chances of getting an order

Ideally, you would get a new order just as you complete a delivery. However, the app will usually give orders according to your proximity from the restaurant. Hence, your chances of getting an order are upped at a shopping mall where there is a higher concentration of food outlets. 

Now you know why you sometimes spot food delivery riders congregating outside malls.  

Stack orders to earn more

It's all about efficiency here as stacking orders lets you receive two orders at a time, but no guarantees that they will give restaurants or delivery locations next to one another. 

The downside is that with stacked orders, it's harder to collect 'gems' for the Grab incentives programme, which could add up to a significant amount. 

Thus you have to decide what your game plan is to maximise the amount that you get to pocket at the end of the day, based on your availability to ride.

Keep at least $50 in your cash wallet so that you don't miss out on cash orders

When a customer orders, they can choose to pay either in cash or with card. If they pay you in cash, the Grab app will deduct the amount that the food costs from your cash wallet. Hence If you have insufficient funds inside, the system won't assign you any cash orders.

Join a zonal fleet to increase your earnings 

The zonal fleet programme is only for certain locations in Singapore. What it promises is priority allocation for orders from food outlets within the zone. However, the delivery destination could be outside the zone. Some netizens have said that they have encountered problems in signing up to be part of a fleet as it seems to be oversubscribed. 

Your location matters 

The general idea, especially if you are doing this part-time, is that you want to probably work in an area that you are familiar with or that is near home. However, this may not be a good strategy should you want to earn more. 

According to netizens, the East side generally lacks riders, so you'll likely have a better flow of orders. Jurong in general is considered to be rather competitive with an oversupply of riders and there have been instances where orders don't come in even during the peak hours. 

ALSO READ: Disappearing act: GrabFood rider stuck with 27 packets of chicken rice and no one to foot the bill

kailun@asiaone.com