The last-mile delivery sector has exploded and may be the environmentally friendly way to shop

They have come from Burundi, DRC, Malawi, Niger, Zanzibar and other African countries to work in an industry where most people are immigrants. They are mostly young men, hungry to make a living to support their families. They risk their safety by riding bikes and scooters to bring fast food, groceries, and medicine to our front doors.

The motorbike or last-mile delivery sector has exploded in recent years. Covid lockdowns changed shopping habits. Many of us now prefer getting goods delivered straight to our homes.

It may also be the better option environmentally. Scientific American has described a study that compared shopping methods:

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"Most of the time, having a physical store deliver products was greener than traditional shopping -- which, in turn, was usually more environmentally friendly than online retail. This ranking shifted a great deal, depending on specific circumstances, however. In particular, the number of objects purchased on each shopping trip, the distance of that last-mile journey and the method of transportation made a large impact on the calculated volume of greenhouse gas emissions. For example, bundling more items together on a single purchase reduced shoppers' carbon footprint because it required fewer trips to the store or package deliveries."

But what's it like to be a rider?

The riders are only paid per delivery so using two-wheelers is better than a car to skirt through traffic and make more deliveries in a day. But that can come at a price: many riders tell stories of being involved in accidents.

One rider told how he has been deliberately bumped many times by taxi drivers when stopped at traffic lights. Xenophobic abuse is sometimes hurled at him. When he tries to report this to the police, they're uninterested because he hasn't been physically injured.

Many riders have been robbed, shot, lost personal items or had bikes stolen. Yet despite the trauma and financially crippling setbacks they continue, because it is the most viable option for them to make a living.