Rise in online orders fuels demand for two-wheelers, cycles in Kolkata

Ordering food and almost everything else online is one of the most prominent pandemic-induced lifestyle changes across the world. So, even as life rushes towards normality, the demand for delivery agents continues to grow. But though logistics has become a major employment avenue, there’s a catch – a delivery agent is expected to own a two-wheeler. We tried to find out how restaurants and logistics firms in Kolkata are handling the surge in demand and how the trend is impacting two-wheeler sales in the city.Here’s the lowdown.

When we asked Piyali Das (name changed on request), the key accounts manager of a popular food delivery app, if owning a two-wheeler is a prerequisite for delivery agents, she replied in the affirmative. “A delivery agent is taken on board if he owns a vehicle and has a driving licence. Their (those on a contractual basis) commission or earnings usually cover their fuel and maintenance costs. We also have a few delivery employees whose fuel, maintenance and insurance costs are borne by the company,” she said.
Barnali Das, who’s associated with another food delivery app, said their company bears the fuel costs. “But the delivery agents must have their own vehicle, which may be a bike, scooter or even a bicycle,” she added.
Even restaurants that deliver food on their own, prefer to hire delivery agents who own bikes. Shilpa Chakraborty, owner of three coffee outlets in the city, said, “We only pay commission to the delivery agents. Buying vehicles for them is too much of a hassle,” she said.
Dibyendu Naskar, who works for an e-commerce company, said, “Most e-commerce companies hire people who have their own two-wheelers. We work on a commission basis and bear all bike-related expenses.”
Some restaurants, however, hire employees in multi-tasking roles. Aloke Das, a waiter at a city restaurant who also delivers online orders, said, “I get a waiter’s salary. But when I deliver food, I get paid according to the distance I cover on my own bike.”

Rohit Chowdhury, owner of three city restaurants told us that they prefer to hire delivery agents who own two-wheelers. “We pay for the fuel. But there are instances when we buy the vehicle, especially if we see that the agent has a good track record. We mostly buy second-hand vehicles.”
Samarendra Mukherjee, the owner of seven restaurants, added, “At times, we buy a two-wheeler for a delivery agent but it’s always preferable to hire someone who already has a vehicle. But yes, before hiring, we check whether any accident cases or fines have been registered in his name or against his vehicle. If the track record is good, we don’t mind buying a two-wheeler for that delivery agent.”


The surge in fuel prices and a push from logistics firms to make their operations more eco-friendly have pushed up the demand for bicycles. “Bicycle sales have increased post the pandemic. And with the rise in the fuel prices, many delivery companies are asking their delivery agents to switch to bicycles. Some companies are also stressing more on eco-friendly operations and asking their delivery agents to use bicycles wherever possible. Moreover, the maintenance cost of bicycles is also much lower than two-wheelers,” said Subir Ghosh, who manufactures and sells bicycles. Joydeb Manna, a cycle shop employee, seconded Subir. “Delivery boys prefer to buy bicycles in the range of Rs 5,000 to Rs 7,000. But there are not many takers for e-cycles, as they are expensive and there’s that added risk of batteries dying mid-delivery. That’s not feasible for them,” he said.

Biswajit Debnath, a sales executive at a two-wheeler dealership, told us that the sale of brand new two-wheelers is down now. “The Ukraine war has created a shortfall of parts. Sales had increased after the first lockdown when people opted for personal vehicles to commute,” he said. Sourav Chatterjee, another dealer, added, “The demand is there, but there’s no supply, so sales are getting affected.”
On the other hand, the demand for second-hand bikes is high. “The sale of second-hand two-wheelers, especially 100cc or 125cc bikes, has increased by 60% as more and more youngsters are joining the delivery industry. Buying a new bike is often an expensive proposition for them,” said Rana Das, who deals in second-hand vehicles.


A lot of young men are enrolling in motor training schools to learn how to ride a two-wheeler and join the delivery sector. “Young men aged between 20 and 30 years are joining our school. There are also those who already know how to ride a bike but are enrolling to get a driving license easily,” said Nand Kishor Sah, the owner of a motor training school.
A person associated with the motor vehicles department added, “One needs different licenses to ride bikes and scooters and there’s a rush for both. In fact, the rush was even higher ahead of Durga Puja, when people wanted to join the delivery industry and earn some money.”