He walks up to a hole in the wall, scan his card to sign in, drop off a huge, boxy bag that says “McDelivery” and heads straight to one of the alfresco tables at the fast food restaurant to have a drink and take a quick nap. The next man who returns does the exact same thing. An order comes zapping out of the machine and the person at the other side of the wall calls out “Rider, rider”. Some of them, deep in sleep, keep their eyes closed, the rest look at one another to decide who to go next. Usually, it’s an unspoken first in, first out rule.

These are the fast food dispatch riders and drivers. To sign up for this job, they have to have their own vehicle, and legs muscles that help them trod the streets with heavy orders at hand, overcome the stairs in walk up apartments and brave the attack of dogs. We speak to three of them (none are too proud of this thankless job and seek anonymity here) to find out what goes on in their job.

What’s most tiring about this job?
R: Those old HDB with no lift. Last time I climbed five levels. Sometimes when the order is big my bag very heavy.
N: Lift that don’t go to every level. Then after climbing, you realised the unit is at the far end of the long corridor.

How do most customers respond to you when you greet them?
N: Most people will smile, or nod their head. A small percentage will not respond. They don’t open their mouth and they don’t smile. A few will ask about my job, whether it is tough or tiring. But that’s very few.

What kind of customers do you not like?
R: Some customers not understanding. They ask why we are late and then slam the door at our face. Sometimes it’s because of rush hour so order jam, not our fault.
N: Customers that make you wait very long. It happens more often when they order from their office. You knock on the door nobody answer. You call them and they tell you they will come down soon. I ended up waiting 20 minutes! Waste my time. I could have made another trip. But I understand from some of them that there’s some work they do that they can’t stop and have to keep on typing.

What are you most afraid of?
N: I’m scared of meeting bad guys after midnight, because we carry money, about $100, with us.
F: I’m most afraid of houses with dog. It is okay if they keep their gate close. But there was a time the owner opened the gate and the dog dashed out. I just kept still and make sure I don’t touch it.

Any spooky encounter?
F: Once I was asked to deliver to a bungalow in the middle of an old Muslim graveyard around Telok Blangah. It was midnight so I asked another rider to go with me.

So there’s really someone staying inside?
F: Ya lah.

How do you find your way?
R: We only deliver to the nearby neighbourhoods so very easy.
F: After finding the block you need to take the correct lift to the unit. I just look at the rubbish chute when I park my vehicle. The rubbish chute indicates which unit to which unit. Then I go the nearest lift lobby.

Why are some riders so reckless on the road?
R: Not all. Just some. We have hourly rate and commission for every delivery. The more delivery we make the more we earn. Maybe they want to make more money so they go faster.

What does your family think of your job?
R: They think dangerous. But no choice la. My finance very big.