A diary written as part of an ongoing explorative intervention into Amsterdam’s complex network of delivery companies. I prototype alternative functions for elements of existing socioeconomic infrastructure informed by research into organisations such as Deliveroo, the Riders Union, the FNV, Tring Tring and PostNL.

sat 21st oct 2017

5.54pm

leave house. pick up assigned from local chicken shop in industrial estate (i guess the rent is cheaper and they work off delivery only). take it to family in newish block of luxury flats, man tips me €2 and wishes me a good luck for the day.

next pickup is down in oostpoort so i retrace my pedals. pick up from upmarket pho place, take to room 222 the Lloyd Hotel & Culturele Ambassade in Zeeburg. minutes into my ride sheets of rain and wind slash across the streets, I continue but upon reaching the drop i am soaked thru. the receptionist offered me some towels to dry myself, i wipe my glasses and continue on.

i slog it into Grachtengordel where i collect two burger meals, one goes to a 2nd floor flat above the bloemenmarkt the other to a couple down in Weesperbuurt. both tip €1.

next an italian home cooked family run kinda place, there seem to be a few of these around. food goes to, i can’t even remember who. in fact i think i got mixed up with my memory there.

next the butcher in de pijp, i stand and wait with leonardo, or something, a fellow deliveroo rider. he has riden also for thuisbezgord, foodora and uber. he tells me that he is looking to finish working for deliveroo, he doesn’t think it’s worth it with the new contracts and will try to get a courier job instead. he likes the exercise element of the job but feels undervalued by his mechanical boss.

the rest of the shift passes rhythmically, it is odd to become an appendage of the algorithm but it also brings a sense of calm. worrying…

i end on 10 deliveries in 3 hours, €50 + €8 tips and a further €4 in cash, just the right amount to pay off my bag. not bad for a first try.

tues 24th oct 2017

4.58pm

leave underground, first job is next tot westerpark and takes me further north. after that i head all the way back down to the centrum to move some burgers into people stomachs. stopping to speak with a bangledeshi uber eats rider about cricket amongst other things.

then on to de pijp once again. i find this part of town bad for riding in, i have no idea why. back and forth, opportunities to converse are missed, it feels a bit lonely in the saddle.

one significant observation at this point is the diversity of people that i interact with, one moment i am at rebrands tower delivering a buffet to a high flying businessman entertaining guests, the next i am bringing the guy running a coffee shop his burger for dinner. this system connects people in the strangest way, how can i use this?

i get fed up at the 3 hour mark and realise that is the limit of a good shift, it is also the busiest time and so more efficient. i make a straight 3 deliveries an hour, maintaining my average.

weds 25th oct 2017

4.59pm

I set off from the underground, thinking about how the algorithm sent me back to post last time, i hope that won’t happen again… first pick up an italian restaurant near mueseumplien.

i ride around doing my tasks, a particularly good 1st hour. the second levels it out and so i decide to stop a little early. 7.19 to be precise. i can’t help thinking we are having the flash games of our youth fed back to us as a ‘job’.

i ride to the riders union meet up straight from my last delivery, they greet me with open arms. an interesting yet somewhat dull discussion takes place. although my personal favourite moment is definately the quiet suggestion of burning a kangaroo outside HQ. alternatively the line ‘deliveroo riders deliver their demands to HQ’ has a certain ring to it.

as i leave, the head guy pulls a classic out the bag. ‘you’re creative aren’t you’…

weds 25th oct 2017

4.59pm

there’s not much fun in this flash game? where they ever fun? mmorpgs were fun, why don’t we give this some rpg elements

i am the redundant postberzorger of tnt, or am i a freelancer for deliveroo? people in this industry must take 2 roles to earn enough to pay the rent