Deliveroo has dismissed more than 100 riders as part of an ongoing effort to tackle illegal immigration within its workforce.
The food delivery giant confirmed to MPs that 105 workers had been removed since April 2024 for illegally sharing their accounts with undocumented migrants. The company has faced increasing government scrutiny over the issue, with concerns raised about the widespread abuse of the substitution system, which allows riders to appoint others to deliver on their behalf.
In response to mounting political pressure, Deliveroo and other gig economy giants—including Just Eat and Uber Eats—have been ordered to strengthen employment checks. Many platforms now require riders to regularly submit selfie or video verification to ensure the registered account holder is the one completing deliveries.
Paul Bedford, Deliveroo’s director of policy, outlined the company’s crackdown in a letter to the Commons business and trade select committee, stating:
“We have off-boarded 105 Deliveroo riders since April 2024 due to their substitutes providing invalid right-to-work documents. To be clear, a substitute rider must have their right-to-work status verified before they can complete any orders with Deliveroo.”
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