Anjali, an X user, reported that she witnessed a Zomato rider involved in an accident and made multiple calls to the company’s emergency line, only to receive no response.
Anjali detailed the incident in an X thread, explaining that she saw two cars hit a Zomato rider in Delhi’s Chanakyapuri area. The rider, on an e-scooter, sustained a severe arm injury. Pedestrians and two other Zomato agents assisted him as the cars fled.
Anjali stopped to help the unconscious rider and used his phone to call Zomato’s emergency helpline. “No one answered. Thrice,” she recounted. After the rider regained consciousness and began crying, the other two Zomato agents also tried contacting the helpline without success.
Eventually, Anjali called the Police Control Room. After a 10-minute delay, the PCR helpline promised to send officers to the accident site. Meanwhile, the rider, identified as Lalan, began receiving complaints from customers about the delayed deliveries. Anjali attempted to contact the customers but received no replies. She also texted them about the situation, but soon after, the Zomato service center started calling Lalan to inquire about the delay.
“It just confirms the joke that riders are for Zomato,” Anjali wrote, noting that the other Zomato riders who had come to help also received complaints and had to leave.
Zomato later contacted Lalan, but by then, the police had already taken him to the hospital. Anjali criticized Zomato for its lack of support, stating, “Anyone who studies the gig economy (even if not study it carefully) fully understands that the riders are invisible to the top leaders. Don’t be fooled by their celebratory tweets & posts. They brag about giving CPR training to their riders but when their riders are left injured in the middle of the road or face any problems, there is absolutely no support mechanism.”
She urged CEO Deepinder Goyal to take responsibility and recognize gig workers as employees with appropriate rights, compensation, and medical benefits.
In response, Zomato acknowledged deficiencies in its support system for delivery partners and provided an update on Lalan’s condition. The official Zomato Care X handle stated that Lalan had no major injuries. “Hi Anjali, it is heartening to see the effort you took to ensure the safety and due care for our delivery partner. Thank you for your kindness. Our teams have been in touch with the delivery partner, Lalan and his family since we learnt about this tragic incident,” Zomato wrote.
“We are glad to share that he is safe with no major injuries. Doctors have advised him rest and care for the next few days. For us, the safety and wellbeing of our delivery partners is utmost priority. All our delivery partners are covered under our Health Insurance policy, including IPD/ hospitalisation and daycare with coverage up to INR 1 lac,” the company added.
Zomato admitted that its emergency response system needed improvement and promised to implement changes to reduce the wait time for SOS calls. “Lastly, Anjali, we understand that our SOS process could have been better. We are making changes to ensure the wait time on SOS calls is down to a few seconds and they get connected instantly. These changes will reflect on our delivery partner app within 24 hours,” the company concluded.
