Navigating Urban Infrastructure and Solidarity: Experiences of App-Based Food Delivery Workers in Canada


Jen Kostuchuk, University of Victoria

The growth of the gig economy and its precarity is well-documented in Canada. It is an employment sector known for its lack of job security, exclusion from health benefits, and poor working conditions (Christie and Ward, 2019; Popan, 2021; Stewart and Stanford, 2017). The sector is also highly gendered and racialized. While many gig workers appreciate the sector's entrepreneurial freedom, the barriers and opportunities for solidarity among gig workers have yet to be meaningfully examined (Reid-Musson et al., 2020). Through 50 in-depth, semi-structured interviews, this research explores the experiences of individuals in Canada working on app-based food delivery platforms like UberEats, Skip the Dishes, and DoorDash. For some, app-based work is their primary source of income, and for others, the pay is merely supplementary. Participants in the project navigate urban infrastructure in unique ways while delivering by vehicle, bicycle, and electric scooter. Two research questions guide this project: what are the barriers and opportunities for solidarity among food delivery workers in Canada's gig economy? To what extent do modes of transportation constrain and enable solidarity across gig workers? Preliminary findings underscore health and safety issues associated with navigating urban infrastructure, particularly in car-centric cities. Barriers to gig worker solidarity include a lack of mutual understanding of gender-specific workplace conditions, perceptions of competitiveness and lack of collegiality, and the independent and isolating nature of the work. App-based platforms do not support opportunities for workers to establish mutually beneficial relationships. Furthermore, mobility can simultaneously constrain and enable solidarity in urban and digital spaces where workers congregate. Some gig workers perceive this type of food delivery service to be competitive, while others believe there is space for more camaraderie than competition. Nonetheless, opportunities for solidarity are present through digital communication on social media and connecting with fellow couriers while on shift waiting for pickups. More findings are forthcoming. This research has the potential to inform public policy on protecting gig workers by ensuring workplace health and safety and better understanding the gendered implications of this sector.

This paper will be presented at the following session: