No help for self-employed couriers ‘laid off’ by Bolt as workers left scrambling

Food delivery and taxi app Bolt will not be offering any help or compensation to self-employed couriers after the company decided to only accept courier drivers employed through work agencies.

A Bolt spokesperson told MaltaToday that the decision was of a commercial nature and so was not able to disclose the reasons for the switch.

“From 11 January 2023, self-employed couriers will need to register themselves as an employee of a work agency in order to continue making deliveries for Bolt Food platform,” the spokesperson said. “No compensation will be offered to the self-employed couriers as they were not employed by Bolt.”

Recently, Bolt decided to do away with its self-employment model and opt for exclusive relationships with courier drivers employed through work agencies.

A ‘bolt’ from the blue for couriers, they were left having to find a new job during the Christmas period or sign themselves up with a work agency.

Self-employed couriers were informed of the decision through email, explaining that anyone who would like to continue delivering on the Bolt Food platform will have to register as an employee of a work agency.

A Maltese courier who had been self-employed with Bolt said that the company was offering no support whatsoever after taking this decision, sarcastically describing it as Bolt’s ‘Christmas present’, and that he will have to find work elsewhere.

Another courier was disappointed with the move, telling MaltaToday that he enjoyed the ‘gig work’ element to working under Bolt. “The point of gig work is to be your own boss. Now they want us to be employed?”

He said that he will likely join Wolt now, having created an account with them a while back that had been deactivated due to little activity. In just a few hours, he got the account up and running again. “That would have taken two days at Bolt.”

He continued to explain that few people will opt to work with Bolt through an agency, with one person being told by a fleet that they will keep a 20% cut of their pay. “Why would we accept a 20% cut when we are used to get 100%?”

Another courier explained that the self-employment model was good for workers who needed some flexibility in their schedule. He said he knew a courier with a kid who was able to balance his work and his family life easily, while another courier had been studying full-time and used Bolt to make some pocket money.

A switch to Wolt will not be too easy for couriers looking to remain in the sector. Wolt keeps a limit on the number of couriers they ‘employ’ on their platform, meaning space is limited for self-employed couriers who would like to make the switch.

And for many couriers, this decision means a lot of investment has gone down the drain. “One courier I know bought a motorbike two months ago for his job as a courier. Now he’s devastated.”

The decision came two months after government announced new rules regulating platform work, leading some to question whether Bolt’s decision was impacted by the regulations.

When asked about this, the Bolt spokesperson declined to comment.