Deliveroo Singapore’s 2nd annual Rider Safety Month introduces new safety initiatives to protect riders on roads

• New initiatives include a partnership with the Singapore Cycling Federation to conduct a Power-Assisted Bicycle (PAB) and Cyclist Safety Programme for food delivery cyclists, and an expanded partnership with ComfortDelGro for its Defensive Riding Course

• Over 350 Deliveroo riders have completed the Defensive Riding Course since it was introduced last October. This year, over 200 new slots will be released during Rider Safety Month

For the second consecutive year, Deliveroo is marking the month of October as 'Rider Safety Month' to raise awareness of rider safety on roads. This year's initiative introduces Power-Assisted Bicycle (PAB) and Cyclist Safety Programme, a new safety initiative in partnership with the Singapore Cycling Federation, and sees an expansion of the Defensive Rider Course by ComfortDelGro Driving Centre.

Equipping Deliveroo cyclists with skills necessary for safe and responsible riding behaviour

The PAB and Cyclist Safety Programme aims to equip Deliveroo riders who use non-powered and electric bicycles as their mode of delivery with the necessary knowledge and skills to manoeuvre cycling paths and roads safely. A national governing body for the promotion and development of the sport of cycling, the Singapore Cycling Federation’s mission is to contribute to safe cycling culture in Singapore, among other things.

Conducted by accredited trainers from the organisation, Deliveroo riders will undergo a theory course that covers areas such as rules and code of conduct for using a PAB, types of cycling infrastructure and where PABs are allowed to ride, equipment safety checks and a cyclist’s personal safety checks. The programme also includes a scenario-based discussion where riders will receive a refresher on on-road and off-road scenarios such as road crossing, vehicle blind spots, and moving through pedestrians safely in high-traffic areas. At the end of the session, participants will have greater confidence to ride safely on the roads.

Riding on positive response, Deliveroo Singapore expands the Defensive Riding Course

To equip riders with defensive riding techniques to improve their safety awareness and enhance their survivability on the roads, the Defensive Riding Course was first introduced last October in partnership with ComfortDelGro Driving Centre. Since then, over 350 Deliveroo riders have completed the Defensive Riding Course.

Building on the positive response from riders, Deliveroo will release over 200 new slots for the whole month of October. Once riders complete the Defensive Riding Course, they will have the opportunity to sign up for the Advanced Defensive Riding Course, which kicked off earlier this year. During this advanced-level course, riders will learn static training, proper riding postures and braking techniques including for emergencies, motorcycle handlings and balancing.

"Attending both the Basic Riding Course and the Advanced Defensive Riding Course has been very helpful to me. Although I ride to work every day, there are still a lot of things that I learnt from these two courses, and I have been encouraging my rider friends to participate in these initiatives for their own benefit. I’m grateful I can better protect myself on roads with the new skills, techniques and knowledge,” said Deliveroo rider Daniel Sng, 49.

“At Deliveroo, riders are at the heart of what we do. We are committed to ensuring that every rider remains protected on roads so they can go home to their loved ones safely. We are pleased to partner with the Singapore Cycling Federation on the Power-Assisted Bicycle (PAB) Safety and Cyclist Programme to help riders level up their knowledge and awareness while on the roads. We highly encourage riders to participate in these safety initiatives while also appealing to all road users to practice mutual respect and safety while on the road. Together, we can work towards achieving safer daily riding conditions for our riders,” Jason Parke, General Manager, Deliveroo Singapore.

Dr Hing Siong Chen, President of the Singapore Cycling Federation said, “We are pleased to collaborate with Deliveroo to offer the Power-Assisted Bicycle (PAB) Safety and Cyclist Programme to their fleet of food delivery riders who use bicycles and PABs as their mode of delivery. Cycling might seem easy, but accidents can happen if not done safely and responsibly. Through this new initiative, we hope to instil a safe cycling environment by giving them a refresher on road safety and rules and encouraging the use of appropriate safety equipment and cycling habits.”

As part of Rider Safety Month, Deliveroo and the Singapore Red Cross Society will also conduct a session for riders to learn basic first aid skills and automated external defibrillator (AED) procedures. The initiative is part of Deliveroo’s efforts to empower riders to be a force for good in local communities. Most recently, Deliveroo collaborated with Samaritans of Singapore (SOS) to conduct a first-responder training workshop for close to 30 riders to equip them with vital skills and knowledge to better support the vulnerable in the community. Deliveroo riders can also look forward to improving their knowledge on safety-related matters via regular newsletters from Deliveroo throughout October.

Last year’s Rider Safety Month launched several safety initiatives, including Flare (formerly Busby), a global safety app. With Flare, Deliveroo riders can gain complimentary premium access to information like incident detection, danger hot spots as well as alerting nearby riders to RoadRadar drivers (such as drivers of trucks, lorries and cars) when Deliveroo riders are nearby. Regardless of their vehicle type, all active Deliveroo riders in Singapore can benefit from the app’s multi-layered safety functions. Earlier this year, Deliveroo rolled out a pilot programme with Rider Dome, an Advanced Rider Assistance System (ARAS) based on Artificial Intelligence (AI) which analyses real-time data and detects potential threats on the road.