Apart from the threat of referral, this ostensibly safety-related measure is also an oblique attack on hundreds of migrant livelihoods. Modified e-bikes that reach speeds well above the legal limit are now seen as a necessity by many in the delivery business, as falling per-delivery fees and other algorithmic tweaks have made it too difficult to earn a living on a regular bike.
As Benedito explained: “You can’t survive anymore with a normal bike. The distance between orders is bigger now. If you don’t use an e-bike, you’ll be too slow, and the app will give you fewer deliveries.”
Yet now this tool of the trade has become another immigration enforcement trap.
A hostile environment indeed
This government’s war on illegal work is making it harder for migrant workers to survive in the UK. But immigration raids and bike traps aren’t the only tools in its arsenal. Other, more longstanding policies that exclude migrants from safety and support remain at work as well.
E-bikes and motorbikes allow riders to cover longer distances and increase the number of deliveries. But they provide little protection, leaving riders vulnerable to abuse, theft and gang attacks during their shifts.
As our recent report shows, riders have few options when such incidents occur. Reporting thefts to the police is often futile and potentially risky. Interviewees feared that doing so could trigger checks on their immigration status.
Platforms, too, offer no protection. As Giovanna, a Brazilian delivery rider, explained: “I reported [a customer attack] to the company, but they said I was the one who treated the customer badly … even though it was them who mistreated me.” Another rider, Rayan, echoed this sense of abandonment: “If I get hurt, if something goes wrong, the company won’t do anything. They don’t even know I exist.”
