Gig Workers Bear Brunt of Low Eatery Turnover

Hyderabad: Commercial LPG cylinder shortage in Hyderabad has started affecting food delivery services; Riders and app-based drivers reported long wait times and fewer orders as restaurants scaled back cooking operations.

Delivery drivers said that due to fuel shortage, many hotels have either reduced food preparation or stopped accepting orders from platforms like Swiggy and Zomato.

“There is now a waiting time of almost 90 minutes on delivery apps. Some places have already stopped operations. We wait around 90 minutes for deliveries and barely earn $55 from it. This becomes very difficult as Ramzan traffic is already heavy in the Old City,” said delivery worker Dawood Ali. “There is zero help from Swiggy and Zomato too.”

Telangana State Hoteliers Association said many hotels have not received commercial LPG cylinders in the last three days, affecting their ability to operate normally. “We have not received gas for the last three days. Today, we met with gas distributors and requested the state and central governments to allow at least 50 per cent supply so that we can meet the food needs of staff and guests staying in our hotels,” said CH Venugopal, secretary of the association.

“We normally get around five cylinders, but we are currently requesting that at least two and a half cylinders be released so that we can manage basic cooking for staff and guests.”

Hotel operators said food delivery was among the first services to be restricted when fuel availability dwindled.

“Without sufficient fuel, it is impossible to fulfill delivery orders. It is difficult to supply food to our own staff, so Swiggy and Zomato orders are simply not possible right now,” Venugopal said. “Barring cloud kitchens, pushcarts and some major chains, almost all hotels have stopped sourcing through Swiggy and Zomato.”

Restaurant operators said that many sales points keep their profiles on delivery platforms active, but they reject incoming orders because the kitchens cannot keep up without enough fuel. Some outlets also removed some products, including Iranian tea, from their menus. Several large chains selling fried food products have temporarily suspended their operations.

“We are keeping Swiggy and Zomato active for as long as possible. Let’s see how it goes,” said a restaurant manager in Secunderabad.

The National Restaurant Association of India said the government had clarified that there was no ban on commercial LPG supply but distributors were unable to supply cylinders in many regions.

Telangana Gig and Platform Workers Union said LPG and CNG shortage could affect thousands of workers dependent on app-based services. The union said any disruption in fuel supply could lead to fewer trips and reduced earnings for drivers and delivery workers associated with platforms such as Ola, Uber, Rapido, Swiggy and Zomato.

Ravi, a CNG taxi driver who works with Uber, said, “Everything seems normal so far. There are usually long queues at CNG pumps anyway and I haven’t encountered any problems yet. But there is a lot of talk about shortages everywhere, so naturally there are some concerns.”