Delivery riders are modern-day heroes. They spend hours under the sun, risking their lives to transport cargo—all while we sit in the comfort of our homes and offices. To help us better understand what these people go through, Grab Philippines invited us to join its “GrabFood Walker for a Day” campaign.

I thought I would have a chill time delivering food around Bonifacio Global City (BGC). But the experience was anything but that, as my wits and street smarts were put to the test.

Being a bike-commuter, I was paired with Nelia, a fellow cyclist from Caloocan, who accompanied me as I delivered food for two hours. She wasn’t familiar with the area so I guided her with navigation while she helped me with the app. Using the software is simple and straightforward: You go live and orders will be thrown your way, which you can accept to begin a delivery.

The moment I accepted an order, there was a sense of pressure as the clock began ticking. This was no race. But I had to be mindful of the time since someone was paying for food to be brought to their doorstep as soon as possible. Three things helped me greatly: (1) a Fiido L3 electric bicycle, (2) Google Maps, and most importantly, (3) diskarte.

As a user, finding a rider can be difficult at times. So I thought I was going to get flooded with bookings. But that wasn’t the case as I had to roam around and wait a while. My first delivery was a double-order from Recovery Food.

The first challenge I encountered was locating the right branch since there were two located near each other in BGC. The next one was finding parking. As a customer dining in, I’d either fold my trifold and bring it inside, or lock my bike at the nearest rack before walking to the restaurant.

But as a delivery-partner just picking up food, I intuitively left the small e-bike right outside the restaurant. This didn’t sit well with the guards who told me to leave it by the curb, as I loaded the food into the delivery box.

The first destination was outside BGC in Guadalupe Nuevo so I had to pass through EDSA northbound. That might sound intimidating, but it is normal for anyone who rides a bicycle for transport.

The next drop-off was the most difficult one.

Distance doesn’t tell the whole story when traveling around Metro Manila. Because the street design prioritizes motor vehicles, people outside of them have to adjust—even if it means climbing mountains to cross the street.

And it doesn’t help that the Grab app doesn’t recognize these challenges when assigning deliveries.

Barangay Urdaneta had a linear distance of less than 2km. But how do you cross EDSA on a bicycle? I’d normally take McKinley Road when traveling between BGC and Makati. However, time was of the essence. I had no choice but to go up the flyover at Kalayaan Avenue.

I went down to southbound EDSA and turned right at Gil Puyat Avenue, before making a U-turn at the intersection with Paseo de Roxas. Since Urdaneta is a gated village, my partner had to wait at the guardhouse while I finished the delivery. After that, we went back up the flyover to return to BGC before looking for another booking.

Thankfully, the next order wasn’t as demanding. I had to deliver Hainanese chicken from Nanyang to One McKinley Place 550m away. The drop-off was complicated though.

I had to enter the driveway and park the e-bike, walk outside to register on the logbook, and then go back inside and take off my helmet, before entering the lobby to leave the food with another guard. It would have been nice if the parking, the logbook, and the drop-off were at the same spot.

It was already 11:30am and the event was supposed to last until 12nn. I decided to take one more booking to make the most of the experience. My final trip had me venturing outside BGC again, this time to South Cembo.

Coming from Nanyang again, I had to go to Kalayaan Avenue before entering the inner streets of the EMBO barangays. Finding the specific address was difficult because not all residences had house numbers, and the customer’s idea of a pink gate was different from mine. Thankfully, they were responsive to my message and met me outside on the street.

At the end of the day, Strava recorded a trip that lasted a total of two hours and 19 minutes with a distance of 19.43km. My earnings amounted to P226—enough for a drink at one of the cafés in Kapitolyo. In contrast, I’ve heard of Grab riders who spend as much as 12 hours daily doing deliveries.

The advantage of being on a bicycle was that I got to accomplish more orders. And because it was electric, I wasn’t as exhausted. I made four deliveries while the Grab Walkers got two at the most. Some weren’t even able to get a single booking between 10am to 12nn.

Although I was done making deliveries, my day wasn’t over yet. There were issues with the bikes of two delivery-partners. One had a flat tire; the other had a broken pedal. This allowed me to witness firsthand the sense of community among the bikers.

Benson is the team leader who watches over the BGC area. Given the kind of place BGC is, it’s no surprise there were no known vulcanizing shops or budget-friendly bike shops in the area. So he guided the two cyclists to Kalayaan Avenue where they could have their bicycles repaired.

Grab Philippines takes pride in being a digital platform that empowers its delivery-partners and merchants to make money through the use of technology. The fact that its bikers can purchase Fiido and Nakto e-bikes (mostly through financing) is a testament to this. However, the earnings of these riders are disproportionate to the risks that they face.

For an outsider dipping his toes in the water, the whole experience felt like a wacky scavenger hunt. I enjoyed it because I don’t depend on it for income. But for Grab’s delivery-partners, this is their daily grind and source of livelihood.

There is a great opportunity for Grab to advocate for better infrastructure. Cycling and walking are highly practical solutions that save time and reduce costs; making them more accessible benefits everyone.

It will allow delivery-partners to accomplish more orders—which is also good for merchants and customers—while minimizing health risks associated with road safety.

Life will be easier and business will be better when people are free to move via active transport.