Best delivery and courier companies to work for

Looking for alternative sources of income? The Otto Team is here to help. We’ve put together a list of top food delivery and courier companies for PCO drivers and Uber Partners to work for in the UK. Once you own or rent a good PCO car, there are a lot of opportunities for private hire drivers to make money.

Are you ready to make the best use of your PCO car and pick up some delivery driver jobs?

Uber Eats

Uber Eats is a famous online food ordering and delivery platform based in the US. It’s widely used and popular in the UK and worldwide.

Requirements:

Driver requirements

Must be at least 18 years old

Required documents

• EU/UK Driving Licence
• Bank statement dated within the last 3 months
• Certificate of Motor Insurance (must cover food delivery or hire and reward not excluding food delivery)

Driver rates:

Minimum fee of £3.50 per delivery. Distance covered affects the overall delivery fee.

Pros:

• Flexible schedule – Work whenever you want
• Keep 100% of all tips – Tips feature offers you a higher earning potential, and you can keep all of the customer tips
• Bonus earnings – They have a Boost feature that acts as a multiplier for your earnings if you’re at peak times in specific boost zones
• Easy transition – Register your Uber Eats account easily if you’re already an Uber Partner

Cons:

• 25% cut – Uber will take 25% of everything you earn
• Cancellations – Some deliveries that are cancelled by the delivery partner will not be eligible for the full delivery fee
• No free gear – Not providing delivery equipment for free

Sign up with Uber Eats:

Sign up here, or use the Uber Driver app

Read more: How to become an Uber Driver in London

Deliveroo

Deliveroo is a UK-based food takeaway app, with exclusive partnerships with established eateries.

Requirements:

Driver requirements

Must be over 18 years old

Required documents

• Proof of right to work in the UK as self-employed
• Address proof (bank statement or original utility bill)
• UK/EEA driving licence
• Proof of food delivery insurance

Driver rates:

Riders with Deliveroo work on a fee per delivery model, meaning you get paid for each delivery you make. The exact delivery fee varies per order and includes a variable distance fee. You typically get between £7-12 per hour.

Pros:

• Flexible schedule – Work whenever you want
• Keep 100% of all tips – Tips feature offers you a higher earning potential, and you can keep all of the customer tips
• Bonus earnings – They provide incentives during peak times to boost your earnings
• Exclusive partnerships – They work with some big-name chains as partners
• Free kit –  Thermal bags and a phone mount are provided for free

Cons:

• Competition – You may find fewer opportunities as more drivers have joined the company

Sign up with Deliveroo:

Sign up here, or use the Deliveroo app

Just Eat

Just Eat is the largest player in the UK app takeaway market, with 80% Brits takeaway lovers having used it.

Requirements:

Driver requirements

Must be at least 18 years old

Required documents

• A valid driving licence
• Certificate showing your vehicle is insured/registered

Vehicle requirements

• Must be a 1990 model or newer, insured and registered (for independent contractors)

Driver rates:

You can deliver with Just Eat in two ways:

• Independent contractor (flexible hours)
• Salaried worker (hourly rate of £10.20 + additional bonus of up to £2.5 on every delivery)

Pros:

• Flexibility – You can choose from two working modes
• Keep all earnings – They don’t take a commission on your fees, you can keep 100%
• Salary guaranteed – You are expected to earn at least the minimum or living wage rates plus additional benefits such as paid holidays and pension contributions (salaried worker)

Cons:

• No free equipment –  Not providing delivery equipment for free (independent contractor)

Sign up with Just Eat:

Sign up here, or use the Just Eat Courier app

 Tips:

Don’t forget about hidden costs – You’ll have to pay for your own fuel and replace wear and tear items because of the extra mileage.

Yodel

Yodel is a UK-based independent parcel carrier that delivers millions of parcels every week to postcodes across the UK. They deliver on behalf of huge online and high-street retailers.

Driver rates:

No official number is given for a Self-Employed Courier but a rough estimate of £130 per day. You are paid per delivery and you’d expect to deliver around 30-120 parcels a day, 3-6 days a week.

Pros:

• Flexibility – You can use their app to organise your route and track your workload
• Reputation – It’s a trusted and well-known company
• Regular work – Strong network with top retailers and major brands
• Great support – They offer expert support including tax assistance

Cons:

• Long hours – Some drivers have complained of long hours
• Heavy lifting – Lots of heavy lifting is a common complaint

Sign up with Yodel:

Sign up here

Evri

Evri (formerly known as Hermes) is the UK’s leading consumer delivery specialist delivering more than 350 million parcels each year. They operate a network of over 16,000 self-employed couriers.

Driver rates:

Pay is negotiated but typically you could earn £10-£15 per hour delivering parcels in your local area.

Pros:

• No limit for delivery – There is no limit to how many parcels you can deliver
• Reputation – Long-standing and respected company with consistent work
• Great support – They have a dedicated self-employed courier network
• Benefits – You’ll get up to 28 days paid holiday
• Local driving – You can deliver in your local area and work in familiar surroundings

Cons:

• No training – Some drivers have complained of a lack of training
• Long hours – Pay is a concern for many, with long hours expected to make it work

Sign up with Evri:

Sign up here

Amazon Flex

• Flexibility – You are able to pick the blocks of hours and deliver parcels from warehouses to the destinations
• Reputation – It’s under Amazon so it’s trustworthy
• Constant work – Huge demand for delivery

• Blocks – Some drivers say targets are unrealistic, and it can be hard to reserve blocks during busy hours
• Demanding – Drivers have stated the work is high-paced
• Lack of support – Lack of support from management is also quoted

Beelivery is a nationwide on-demand grocery delivery service provider. Established in 2015, they provide deliveries as fast as 15 minutes using crowd-sourced delivery drivers.

Driver rates:

Delivery payment is quoted as being between £7-20 depending on distance travelled and the size of the order.

• Fast delivery & flexible – You can choose your own hours. Potentially complete the delivery in less than half an hour, if the customer is nearby.
• Welcoming – Actively welcomes Uber Partners and PCO drivers to join

• Uncertainty – Relatively new to the market so work may be inconsistent
• Ratings and performance – You’ll be rated by the customer and depending on performance, you may receive more or less jobs after. Regularly accepting jobs also means you may get more jobs.

Sign up here

CitySprint

CitySprint has the largest same-day courier fleet in the UK, with 35+ local service centres. They’re growing at a fast rate and are a well-known brand.

Driver rates:

Not stated on their website. Reviews online are mixed.

• Lots of jobs – Access to over 15,000 jobs in the UK daily
• Paid weekly – Weekly payments straight to your bank account
• Easy sign-up – Relatively easy to sign up

• Not clear on earning potential – Some drivers complained that work is not always available, and you won’t get paid if the customer is unavailable.

Sign up here

What’s next

Why not check out our Private Hire Operator Guide? From Uber to Free Now, the Otto Team have put together all of London’s top operators for the private hire community.

We’ve recently launched our Safety Campaign which is a series of PCO driver guides to topics such as winter driving, night time driving, mobile phone use and road rage.

You can also make sure you are working safely during the pandemic with our Covid-19 tips for PCO drivers.