A black-market trade in delivery app accounts is thriving in Reading amid concerns about the number of broken bikes on the roads and town centre, according to riders. 

Several delivery riders have told The Reading Chronicle they are concerned about the number of black-market accounts being used by people in Reading without a right to work in the UK.

Matt Touv, who runs MT-Cycle Repairs in Wokingham Road, has been a delivery app rider in Reading for more than four years and has seen the rise in black-market accounts. 

He said: "I would say that 80 per cent of riders are from a migrant community, and 40 per cent of all accounts have been bought on the black- market.

"These companies would take a huge knock if there wasn't the black-market and the renting of accounts."

Deliveroo rider Martin Todorov, 31 and from Bulgaria, has also been working as a delivery app rider across Reading over the last four years, and he echoed Matt's concerns.

He said: "In a peak hour, there can be 60 to 70 riders on e-bikes in the town centre. 

"In Reading I would say - for sure - more than 60 per cent of riders are working illegally."

"It's not nice taking on a job and you have people working illegally."

Popular delivery apps Deliveroo and Uber Eats allow for riders to 'share' or 'delegate' their account, which requires riders declaring the arrangement to the relevant company. 

But a black-market has been setup to sell and trade accounts - with prices ranging from £100 to £4,000 - for people to bypass companies policies or work illegally, according to riders. 

Faced with a high number of riders competing for jobs, often using e-bikes, riders are finding it increasingly difficult to earn a good living - leading them to cut corners on safety.  

Many riders are riding bikes in desperate need of repairs, as riders often cannot spare the time and money to fix them, according to Matt. 

He said: "I know one rider who was hit by a car. He is okay, but his forks are cracked - and he's out using that bike.

"Riders come in with completely broken brakes. I see it every single month. 

"You get through brake pads in three or four weeks. You're talking about about £40 for brake pads every couple of weeks - its a lot.

"Time is money for them."

Concerns around safety follow industrial action by delivery drivers for food-ordering platforms including Deliveroo and Uber Eats, who staged a Valentine’s Day strike and protest in London to demand better pay and conditions.

Following talks with the GMB union in May, Deliveroo has agreed to ensure riders earn £12 an hour. 

But analysis carried out by Rodeo, an app that helps gig economy workers track their payments, showed that of 531 food orders completed in the past four months, 278 fell below that rate. 

The Reading Chronicle, working with the Bureau of Investigative Journalism, found that some Deliveroo riders had been receiving less than the minimum wage per shift in 2021. 

Matt Touw and other delivery riders at a protest calling for better working conditions outside Deliveroo's offices in London. Matt Touw and other delivery riders at a protest calling for better working conditions outside Deliveroo's offices in London. (Image: NQ)

This May saw Matt and representatives from the Independent Workers Union of Great Britain meet with Deliveroo CEO Will Shu to discuss declining conditions. 

"It's got worse year on year. Long term riders have seen the change, fees getting worse year on year," Matt said. 

"There was just no responsibility taken by the CEO. 

"There was no sense that they heard what we were saying.

"You shouldn't have riders oversaturated in areas.

"Deliveroo shouldn't be incentivising riders to ride as quick as they can to make a national living wage."

Deliveroo offers "flexible work" that riders "value", with a range of benefits, according to a spokesperson from the company. 

They said: "Deliveroo offers protections including free insurance, sickness cover, financial support when riders become new parents and a range of training opportunities.

“Every rider completes road safety guidance during onboarding, and we require the use of legal, roadworthy vehicles at all times.

"If Deliveroo finds a rider using an illegally modified bike, we will stop working with them." 

An Uber spokesperson said the safety of customers, couriers, and the general public is "a top priority" for the tech firm. 

The representative said: "We expect couriers to adhere to all applicable laws and regulations, including the Highway Code and we do not incentivise couriers to complete deliveries within a certain timeframe or set deadlines to complete a delivery.”