Azfar* struggles to make ends meet by working illegally as a rider for food delivery platform Keeta in Hong Kong, putting him at risk of arrest as he lacks an ID card and work visa.
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For the past eight months, the 27-year-old Pakistani has used the Keeta rider account belonging to his cousin, a Hong Kong resident whom he pays HK$3,000 (US$382) a month under a “rent” deal they struck.
“My cousin has been living in Hong Kong for a long time and he suggested that I use his food delivery [platform] account,” he said. “After he scans his face to login for a shift, I take his phone to work.”
Azfar is a non-refoulement claimant who holds a recognisance form, commonly known as a “going-out pass”, allowing him to temporarily stay in Hong Kong but not to work.
After paying his cousin, he is left with about HK$17,000 a month, which he uses to cover the HK$6,000 rent for a tiny subdivided flat in Sham Shui Po and his daily expenses.
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He is one of a significant number of illegal workers who operate as riders for food delivery platforms, which have become a pillar of the gig economy. Other than Keeta, Foodpanda is the other major local player after Deliveroo folded in April.