Deliveroo has defended its rider safety and training after a cyclist claimed she was hit by one of its riders cycling at night with no lights and in dark clothing, and sworn at by another.

Last year Deliveroo faced criticism for letting inexperienced riders loose on the streets without lights after a number of its riders were seen riding in the company’s black and blue livery at night without lights, some looking unsteady on their bikes.

One road.cc reader shared an email correspondence with Deliveroo over the two incidents, which took place in February and April. The company says rider safety is its top priority, and that it trains and provides ongoing support to all its delivery staff, but has so far not yet provided a response to either complaint.

Deliveroo criticised for letting inexperienced riders loose without lights

Road.cc reader, Mari Girling, voiced concerns over the standard of riding she has seen among Deliveroo riders, and says she has witnessed “many incidents of bad cycling and motorcycling by [Deliveroo] drivers in Oxford”.

In the most recent incident she describes an altercation with a cyclist wearing Deliveroo livery who, she says “cut me up on the inside while I was cycling in heavy traffic”.

”I said to him, ‘Don’t pass me on the inside’,” she says.

“He then matched his speed to mine so that I could not pull in behind or in front of him. I asked him to let me in, and he said F- off. I said ‘Don’t swear at me,’ and he said ‘F- OFF’ again.”

In an earlier incident one evening in February, she claims a Deliveroo rider pulled across her path at a junction, and hit her.

She says: “I initially thought he was a motorbike because of the size of [the] black delivery box. He had no lights and was wearing dark clothing.”

She says she stopped at a junction, checked the road was clear, and pulled out.

“At this point [the] delivery cyclist pulled out alongside me, turned across me and rode into me,” she says. “He hit my arm, lower leg and foot. I nearly came off.”

She says after the collision the rider apologised, and then rode off.

“He did not seem at all stable on his bike. I was hurt (although not badly and it did not last) and shaken up.”

She has raised concerns the box can look unstable on some bikes and because it is black, can make the rider hard to spot on the roads at night, at times obscuring a rider’s lights, if they are fitted.

Girling claims she has not yet received a response beyond a brief message, which road.cc has seen, stating the matter was passed to the company’s Driver Management Team, on 8 February.

Deliveroo says it provides safety equipment to its riders, and though it won’t comment on individual cases the company says it investigates each incident reported.

A Deliveroo spokesperson told road.cc: “The safety of our riders, and all others on the roads in which we operate, is our top priority.

“We provide our riders with top quality safety equipment, including helmets and lights.

“Before riding with us, applicants complete a trial session to ensure they ride safely, confidently and at the required standard. Once this standard is met, our riders complete a programme of road safety training, with additional support available throughout their time riding with us.”  

“Our training and equipment practices are constantly evolving. We continue to consult with a number of leading road safety organisations in the process of further safety training and equipment development.

“While we do not comment on individual cases, we operate a full customer and rider support service. Through this we work to investigate all sides of each incident reported and resolve all issues brought to our attention by members of the public and riders.”