Luca* had not been working long as an online food courier when we met him on a cold winter’s day in a square in the city centre. This was where many food couriers waited for orders to “drop” into their mobile phones.
The 42-year-old husband and father of one was a recently arrived migrant but not qualified to work in the UK. Luca spoke little English, rented a room with three other people, and earned some money by informally renting food delivery accounts from other couriers as a “substitute” rider. He said this was his first chance of regular paid work since arriving in the UK, adding:
In this square, I could point you to who is renting an account from other people because they cannot register using their own details.
